Spider-Man: The Other Spider
by HyperDragon35
Summary: The sequel to The Great Responsibility sees Peter Parker move on from high school and into the real world of independence. As much fun as it is to be Spider-Man, his duties are threatened by the Kingpin who has both an eye on the neighbourhood as well as the potential to make Peter give up his mantle. Is he up to the task?
1. Prologue

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER

 **Note: This is the official sequel to The Great Responsibility. The Earth-616 story that I am writing is mainly side story stuff that doesn't affect the continuity for my Marvel continuity all too much. Also of note, for this story I am going to adopt a different writing style compared to The Great Responsibility especially when it comes to dialogue.**

 _8:35 am Fisk Tower, Manhattan…_

Wilson Fisk sat in his office chair reading through documents and writing down notes as he read through budgetary plans. It has been roughly three months since Spider-Man had taken down Hammerhead and his crime syndicate. Now Queens stands open for another crime lord's taking.

Wearing a clean black and formal business and a smooth purple tie; the bald, oversized and muscle heavy crime lord stared at his papers with gleaming interest as he pondered on his plans. Unlike other crime lords, Wilson was an actual businessman with a legitimate business to run his operations.

As he sipped his morning tea, Wilson heard a knock on his fancy office doors.

"Enter…" Wilson said as he put down the porcelain cup.

The door opened with Wilson Fisk's personal assistant, James Wesley entered the fancy office looking sharp as his boss carrying a newspaper to his desk.

"I have the latest news updates for you, sir. Mr. Joseph Cavallaro's trial has succeeded and his assets are now open to us." James informed throwing a Daily Globe article down.

"Good, I want people going after those locations and seizing his items. We'll use them to restore the neighbourhood from the damage our metal-headed friend has caused." Wilson answered back, "What about the Chinese philanthropist?"

"Mr. Li has booked a flight from New York to Shanghai. His whole helping the homeless organisation is still in operation though." James informed again.

"So long as his other operation isn't running, then we shouldn't be worried." Wilson said back.

"And what about the Spider-Man that swings around Queens? He's the one who gave us this opportunity." James questioned.

"I'm not afraid of some fool dressed in red who's trying to play hero. Look back at history, Wesley. When has that stopped us?" Wilson asked back, "Unlike that fool, Hammerhead. I'm very much a man whose actions are bound to the law. We won't let him come near us."

"Well, I hope that's true, sir." James said as he looked to the side a little.

"Come outside with me for a moment, Wesley." Wilson said getting up from his chair and opening the glass door behind him to a balcony that has a large overview of New York.

Wilson then put his big hands onto the shoulder of his assistant as he pointed out to the direction of Queens.

"Look at the river over at the distance and look at the piece of land next to it." Wilson said smiling, "We're gonna make this side of New York better than before."

James nodded as the high altitude wind in the air blew on his face.

"Inform the Big Man. He's got a lot to go through." Wilson requested.

* * *

 _9:25 am Daily Bugle Building, 1st floor…_

Ned Leeds hobbled his legs forward as he made his way through the busy crowd of Manhattan so he could reach the Daily Bugle building. The people were all minding their business be it tourists or people who were heading to work and Ned felt like he was battling a huge tidal wave in the ocean.

After he was relieved of the trouble by entering the Daily Bugle building, he gave out a huge sigh as he pushed the glass door and into the nicely decorated first floor. Carrying his satchel bag on him, he made his way to the reception.

Approaching the desk, he saw a nice short-haired brunette lady in her early 20s wearing blue sitting in front of a computer screen. She looked up to see Ned standing there and smiled.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Hi," Ned smiled, "My name is Ned Leeds. I'm here to see Mr. Jameson regarding an interview."

"Ah…I see." The lady said before ringing up a number on the phone.

Ned was mesmerised by her and ignored what seemed to be a lot of yelling from the phone. She was quite an astonishing woman and since high school graduation day with his friend, Peter Parker, he hadn't had the best of luck talking with women.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Jameson would like to see you in his office on the fourth floor." The lady said smiling as she put down the phone from her ear after she finished talking.

"Thank you. Miss…" Ned said.

"Brant… The lady replied, "Betty Brant."

"Ah… I'm Ned Leeds, I'm here for a photographer position." Ned said before taking out a digital camera from his bag.

"Well better hurry, Ned. You don't want Mr. Jameson to bust your balls." Betty replied.

* * *

 _J. Jonah Jameson's office, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

John Jonah Jameson, the publisher of the Daily Bugle paper was debating away with his chief editor, Robbie Robertson, a mid 50s African-American man about the next big news article title.

"I'm telling you, Jonah. I think using the word 'Shocking' is just getting redundant at this point." Robbie argued.

"Nonsense… The word sells like a hot cake. Everyone in New York goes crazy as soon as they hear word about our yellow costumed friend and what antics he's up to with his red menace friend, Spider-Man." John said switching his toothbrush moustache.

"There's also another problem. Spider-Man and Shocker are clearly enemies." Robbie argued back.

"You see, they both don't mind a bit of demolition. There's a similarity." John said back.

As the two primary editors of the Bugle continued discussing headlines, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was at that moment, Ned poked his head in.

"Hello Mr. Jameson. It's me, Ned Leeds. We talked over through email about the job position." Ned said.

"Ah, welcome Mr. Leeds. Please come in and take a seat." John said signalling Ned forward.

Ned came in and closed the office door before doing what he was instructed.

"Okay, Jonah. I guess we'll resume this later." Robbie said before attempting to leave.

"Robbie, don't leave me alone here. Why don't you witness what our guest has to offer?" John insisted.

Robbie listened as he stood by John's side and listened to Ned, who was clearly taking his time to relax under all the pressure. He watched as John began questioning him.

"Tell me about yourself…" John requested.

"My name's Ned Leeds. I recently graduated from Midtown High and I'm aspiring to work in the news media because I love keeping track of stories and I wish to be a photographer because I enjoy being creative." Ned answered.

"Not bad… Didn't need to say your name though. So what kind of photographer are you?" John asked.

"Well, I've brought my own photos to show you." Ned said as he went through his bag to search for printed out digital photos for J. Jonah to see. John examined the photos carefully before giving them back to Ned.

"That's amateur camerawork. Anyone can go to the park and take a photo of a tree. Or a photo of some Manhattan buildings." John said shaking his head, "Sorry kid. I'm not looking for people like you."

"Jonah.. The lighting in these photos are pretty good, I must say…" Robbie said looking at the photos.

"Well, I need someone for some serious work." John said.

"So, what exactly am I suppose to show instead?" Ned asked nervously in fear that John will snap.

"Young man, I'm looking for photos that capture the more exhilarating side of daily New York. Something like 'Iron Man flying by' or Tony Stark's public appearance." John said, "I'm sorry but I can't take you in."

"Please…" Ned said in a desperate tone, "I really want this job."

"Maybe go to the Daily Globe, kid. See how they go…" John suggested.

"Mr. Jameson…My family life is tough. I can't afford tertiary education and I'm in desperate need of work. Every day, my mum struggles from cancer and my little sister needs to be looked after. I swear.. I don't just want the job for fun but I need it to support myself." Ned said.

"Again, you mind telling me why you couldn't go with the Daily Globe?" John asked.

"Jonah…" Robbie added.

John leaned back on his chair and gave a huge sigh.

"I don't want to be that unsympathetic kind of person. To be fair, we've been struggling with good photographers. It's about time someone came up to us." John said, "Tell me, you're a Queens person right?"

"Yes." Ned replied.

"Come with me. I'd like you to meet someone." John said getting up from his chair.

* * *

 _Frederick Foswell's office, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

"Foswell? You there?" John asked knocking on the office door, "Foswell?"

"Coming, Mr. Jameson." A voice cried out before opening the door.

Ned and John were greeted by Frederick Foswell, an orange haired Irish-looking man with blue eyes and a shaved beard.

"Frederick Foswell, I'd like you to meet Ned Leeds. He's a guy from Queens just like you." John introduced.

"Ah, awesome. I assume he's heard about the aftermath of everything that happened there. Whereabouts in Queens are you from?" Frederick asked.

"Forest Hills…" Ned replied.

"Ah...Astoria." Frederick said as he shook Ned's hand.

"Foswell, this guy is aspiring to be a photographer. I'm thinking of assigning him with you to help with your articles. And do teach him some things on the way." John advised.

"Ah okay then, Mr. Jameson. Um…Not sure, if I need that. I'm fine with what I'm doing so far." Frederick said.

"Eh.. Don't worry. Mr. Leeds is gonna be given a deadline. If he doesn't get to it, he's fired." John said patting Ned on the back, "You hear that, Mr. Leeds? I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Jameson." Ned said with respect.

"Alright, here's the task. If Mr. Foswell wants a picture, he'll have you tag along. On the other hand, I want you to try get me a nice picture of Spider-Man." John said.

"Spider-Man?" Ned asked.

"Yes, you heard me! I want pictures of that web slinging menace for my articles. Gotta make the Bugle stand tall in front of the Globe." John said raising his voice a little.

Frederick then looked at Ned before speaking.

"Please get that picture. It will help me a lot." Frederick added.

* * *

 _9:45 am Long Island City, Queens…_

Peter Parker's duties as Spider-Man have been relatively tame as of late. After the arrest of Hammerhead as well as Chameleon's demise, the neighbourhood of Queens has gone quiet from criminal activity.

The only thing troubling Queens have been reckless youths, wannabe thugs, bank robbers and the occasional trouble from Shocker. Other than that, Spider-Man was having it easy taking down criminals with his private investigator friend, George Stacy.

Today, Spider-Man was giving chase to a red car with four teenagers inside driving recklessly in the traffic. The teenagers consisted of two boys and two girls who were laughing hysterically as they caused other vehicles to crash.

"Time to stop this joyride." Spider-Man said as he swung down to stop the vehicle.

"Hey guys.. We got his attention!" One guy shouted.

"Faster!" One girl shouted as well.

"Get off your high horses, guys." Spider-Man said before breaking the driver window.

Spider-Man then lifted the guy driving the car out of his seat despite wearing a seatbelt using his superhuman strength. The car then uncontrollably continued going until Spider-Man jumped in front of the vehicle using two web strings attached to the bottom and used his feet against the hood to stop its momentum.

The vehicle grinded to a halt as the teenagers were speechless while the teenage driver who was thrown out of the vehicle groaned as his hands were webbed up by Spider-Man. Moments later, police arrived with a drug testing van driving alongside two police cars.

"Hey officers, caught these troublemakers in the midst of the chase." Spider-Man noted.

"Appreciate it, Spider-Man. We've got the drug testing ready for these guys." One officer said as he approached the four teenagers.

"Worth it." One girl shouted as Spider-Man left.

Perching on top of a building, Peter contacted George using an electronic communicator beneath his mask. Ever since Phillip Chang left New York, Peter had developed the tech himself over the past few months based on the tech specs his friend gave him through email.

"Took care of the younglings, George. A fairly normal routine." Spider-Man informed.

"Nice work, That's all for today. Good job making the police's work easy." George replied.

"You know I'm still somewhat flattered to have that kind of fanbase these days." Spider-Man said.

"Everyone in Queens is ought to get your attention. But it's the young ones who get the most absurd ideas." George said.

"Come on, George. I know you love getting my attention." Spider-Man giggled.

"Nah, I'm always the guy who believes in you. Supports your crusade and…..Doing my best to protect the city." George said.

"So any other plans besides crime monitoring and such?" Spider-Man asked.

"Oh, tomorrow is a special day. My daughter. Me and the rest of the family are going to the Orientation Week at Empire State University. Her boyfriend is also joining us." George informed, "It's gonna be a fun day to know what my daughter wants to do for her future."

"Sounds like a fun day, indeed. Alright, catch you later…" Spider-Man said.

"Yep…Gotta prepare my other suit and such." George said before disconnecting.

"Orientation week…Ah, crap. I gotta make sure I can make it to Manhattan." Peter thought to himself.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: My inspiration for this story will be taken from the 'Spider-Man No More' storyline which is also the storyline that influenced parts of 2004's Spider-Man 2. I also have plans to introduce Spider-Gwen in this story.**


	2. The Empire State Woes

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 2)

 _7:35 am Parker residence…_

Peter slept as hard as he could even when the sun is rising up against him. But being a vigilante at times warrants a bit more rest. These days, aside from waiting on his enrolment to tertiary education, Peter was also job searching.

Coming off from her job at F.E.A.S.T., Aunt May now worked at a retirement centre called Restwell Nursing which was located at Brooklyn. However Aunt May did not seem to mind the distance as she missed the place since moving out with Uncle Ben.

"Peter…" Aunt May said knocking on the door.

Peter curled up even further in his bed as he tried to rest his brain. Today was Saturday, he could not wait to just sleep it off. Unless his Spider-Man duties were calling, he was staying in his bed for a long time.

"Peter…Don't forget what day it is." May said again.

"What day?" Peter groaning while his eyes were still closed before it dawned on him.

"Ah, crap! ESU Orientation!" Peter realised waking up before attempting to get dressed.

As Peter got up, a car rolled right up to the front of the Parker residence. George was waiting with his wife and daughter for Peter to come out.

"How long does this boy take?" George wondered staring at his watch.

"He takes 10-15 minutes I'm guessing… Like every time, he's all like, 'Sorry, gotta go do something 'important'." Gwen stated.

"Maybe he's trying to impress you. It's just like how I prepared for prom with your mother." George replied.

"Oh, George." Gwen's mother, Helen said shaking her head.

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Peter came out of the house slinging a bag running and looking too formal for the event that is happening today. Aunt May waved at her nephew as well as the Stacy family as she prepared to watch them leave.

"Hop on in, son. I gotta drive all the way across Queensboro Bridge today and my instinct tells me that the traffic there is going to be rough." George informed before starting up the car engine.

As Peter squeezed into the back of the car wearing his suit. In contrast to Gwen who was just wearing plain clothes, Peter felt out of his element and did not even try make eye contact with Gwen.

"Same clothes you wore to our first 'date'." Gwen noted, "You know, unless you're looking to study business or whatever, you don't need to wear something fancy like that."

"I was partially possessed by Aunt May…" Peter said sarcastically.

"So Peter, what are you looking forward to for today?" Helen asked.

"Anything really…" Peter sheepishly answered, "I mean I'm married to science the most. So I guess that. Like physics stuff really."

"That's nice to know, Gwen was thinking more on the biology side of things." Helen replied, "Isn't that right, dear?"

"Yes, mum." Gwen said.

"I noticed your brother is not here." Peter said looking for something to talk about.

"Ah, yeah. Simon is home alone." Gwen addressed.

"Say, Peter. You had your breakfast yet? I know a nice place in Manhattan we could try go to." George wondered.

"Ah, no. I'm all good for today." Peter said laughing nervously.

"Well, good luck finding what you're passionate about today." George replied.

* * *

 _9:30 am Empire State University…_

Empire State University was filled to the brim with visitors, students and staff. Peter and Gwen made sure they were together for the moment as the number of people there were plenty.

"Ring me when you're both done." George reminded Gwen as he stood with his wife in front of the university entrance.

"Will do, see you later you two." Gwen said waving back at her parents as she and Peter ventured into the university campus.

"Okay, ladies choice. What are we after today?" Peter asked Gwen as she grabbed a pamphlet out of a student volunteer's hand.

"Well, there just so happens to be a science presentation I heard that will be going on at 9:45 am. You wanna take a guess who's the lecturer there?" Gwen asked back.

"Let's see…Part of me wishes we're seeing Dr. Reed Richards. Or…You know? Neil deGrasse Tyson? It is Empire State after all." Peter replied.

"Come on…" Gwen said rolling her eyes, "Think back to high school."

Peter then thought about it before his mind clicked.

"Oh I see…" Peter said.

"Come on, we got to get the best seats there." Gwen said dragging Peter along all of a sudden.

* * *

 _Gilbert Auditorium…_

Peter and Gwen entered the large corridors of a lecture theatre and decided to take the seats that were close to the front stage. As they sat down, Peter stared at the ceiling where he could see an art drawing of a fire-breathing dragon.

"I always wonder about the strange aesthetic choices here…" Peter commented examining the painting.

"Well, they say you find all sorts of things around ES. As much as the place is top tier…It's also renowned for some of the strangest history." Gwen added.

"Touché, let's see if this presentation tops off that…" Peter said back.

As the auditorium filled up, the presentation was about to start. Just before it began, a student walked up to the lecture desk and informed people about signing up for the university's science society through a microphone.

"If you're interested, make sure you talk to us at the end. In the mean time, please welcome Professor Miller Warren." The student said before walking away.

The audience were then greeted by a grey-haired man wearing glasses. First impressions for anybody pretty much made him look like an approachable person. Peter's interest in the presentation soon lit up.

"That's Mr. Warren's brother…" Peter whispered to Gwen.

"Now you know…"Gwen replied back.

"I've read a lot about him before. He's done a lot in genetics research." Peter whispered again.

"Welcome everyone… Thank you for joining me for this special occasion. It means a lot to me when we have a lot of potential students here interested in science." Miller greeted as his eyes scanned the room.

"Now, let me explain myself. I'm Miller Warren, I'm one of the chief directors of the science faculty here. I specialise of course in biology… Particularly with genetics. If anyone is interested in physics, chemistry or any other field, do note there will be contact details I can provide for everyone." Miller continued.

"First of all, genetics…Revolutionary topic. And one that continues to influence us every day. It answers a lot of things and gives us more questions in return." Miller said, "Just a show of hands, who here is a mutant? I hope this topic isn't too sensitive to you."

A few audience members giggled but the rest just kept listening to what Miller had to say.

"Cool. Now that we got that out of the way. Here's an interesting phenomenon I believe in. So I'm currently working with a lot of health organisations to find cures for many things based on DNA research. Looking for ways to…Make the best versions of everyone. You see, everyone is a test subject." Miller explained before cracking a nervous smile.

"That's weird…" Peter thought to himself, "Everyone is a test subject?"

"Don't get any wrong ideas…" Miller assured prompting audience members to laugh, "All I'm saying is that we as scientists are the greatest resource any experiment needs. Now does that resonate with anyone?"

The rest of the lecture turned out to be a follow up on what goes on in the science faculty of Empire State University as well as study advice and staff contact details. Gratefully, the presentation did not go on for too long.

"Thank you for joining. If you have any questions, please come up to me and I'll do my best to answer them." Miller said concluding the presentation.

"I think I'll ask him a few things." Gwen said, "Maybe even bring up that I know Mr. Warren."

"Okay, I'll go wait outside then. You won't take that long right? There's lots of ground to cover for the rest of the day." Peter said.

Gwen looked at the number of people lining up to ask Professor Warren.

"Yeah, it won't take long." Gwen stated.

* * *

 _Outside the auditorium…_

Peter went outside to wait as Gwen took her time inside to talk with the professor. He looked at his watch and counted down the amount of time it would take for Gwen to ask her questions.

"Maybe I can buy the university merch here…" Peter thought seeing a student stand that is selling ESU t-shirts and other items.

Just as Peter was about to go to the stand, a hand tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Turning around, Peter came face to face with his old friend, Ned Leeds.

"Ned? Wow, you're here too?" Peter said in an almost surprised tone before hugging his friend.

"Yeah…Not for study though. I'm here on a job case." Ned replied letting Peter go, "How are you doing, buddy?"

"Me? I'm fine. Just waiting for Gwen to get out of that auditorium." Peter said back.

"Oh, I see. You should come to the Bugle with me. Could really use your help." Ned said to him.

"Excuse me? The Bugle?" Peter questioned.

"Yeah…" Ned said before showing off his name tag to Peter with his name on.

"Ned Leeds. Employee-in-training." Peter read the card.

"I'm doing photography. Hopefully that promotes me to journalism. I'm actually grateful that J. Jonah Jameson has given me the chance to work there." Ned said.

"J. Jonah Jameson? Are you serious?" Peter said raising his eyebrow, "You know who this guy is right?"

"The one that approves the anti-Spider-Man articles? Yeah, I know. But that's not the reason I went there. I have an ambition to follow and my family to help." Ned addressed holding up his digital camera, "And it's the reason why I asked for my camera back from you."

"Right. So is someone writing about ESU back at the Bugle?" Peter asked.

"Up. Actually. I was assigned with someone back there and we were supposed to work together at Queens. Then he decided to drop me off here and take some photos of what is happening here." Ned said, "I also need photos of you, Peter."

"Me?" Peter said bewildered.

"Yeah, I need photos of Spider-Man…" Ned said with his voice toning down to a whisper.

"Uh…I am not comfortable with this." Peter replied.

"It's okay. I'm your friend. You have your suit with you right?" Ned questioned.

"Yeah…In case." Peter acknowledged patting the back of his backpack, "Um…"

"Come on, dude. You have all these costumed people out on campus. They don't have reasons to suspect you unless otherwise." Ned said trying to persuade Peter, "Please…I can't screw up my first job."

Peter looked away a little before he faced Ned again.

"Alright, Ned. Wait here…Let me go back to the auditorium and check how she's doing." Peter said before running back to the building to check on Gwen.

Two minutes later, Peter rushed back out to Ned who was still waiting for an answer.

"There's a huge line going on. Okay, you know what? Let's do this thing for you." Peter said, "Just let me find a place to get changed and…You tell me where you want to take your shots."

* * *

 _12:20 pm J. Jonah Jameson's office…_

"Crap…" John said shoving the photos away, "What is this? Comic-Con?"

"You did say photos of Spider-Man…" Ned reminded John.

"And none of which are exhilarating. This isn't even in your neighbourhood." John said turning to the window after noting the photos were taken at Empire State University, "By the way, where's Foswell?"

"Uh…He went to Queens himself. He said that since I'm a rookie that I should be doing stuff that's small in scale." Ned said.

"Who told him to make the rules?" Jameson said shaking his head before shouting on the top of his lungs, "ROBBIE!"

Robbie came rushing to the office after hearing his name before he had to listen to what John had said.

"What is it, Jonah?" Robbie asked.

"Tell Mr. Foswell, that if he doesn't finish that article about that old Oscorp power plant then I'm cutting his salary and if it continues, he's fired." John instructed.

"Okay, Jonah…" Robbie said walking away and shook his head.

"And you, Mr. Leeds. Despite my opinion on your pictures, I'll pay you some of form money just so we can use those images. No copyright from any other competing paper." John said, "Go downstairs to see Miss Brant. She'll add the money into your account."

* * *

 _Daily Bugle 1_ _st_ _floor…_

Ned made his way to the reception in which he was nervous about. No matter how much confidence he tries to put in when facing Betty Brant, he could easily lose all of it the moment he started talking.

"Peter, really need your help on this one." Ned said as he got out of the elevator and made his way to the desk.

"Hi…" Ned said approaching Betty, "I'm here for my salary payment."

"You look nervous…Did you cope with Jameson well enough?" Betty asked.

"Oh for sure…" Ned laughed nervously, "So…How much is he willing to pay me?"

"It depends on how much of his good side you're appealing to. Trust me, he's got a big heart inside of him." Betty assured before tapping away on the computer screen.

"It's $250 for all those photos." Betty informed.

"$250? Are you serious?" Ned asked.

"It's not so bad really… I only had $230 when I started. Now I am working at around $510. We'll see where you land if you're here long enough." Betty said.

"I'll take it then…" Ned said, "That money speaks to me nevertheless."

Betty then grabbed Ned's debit card and tapped a couple of numbers on keyboard before returning the card back.

"Done." Betty said smiling.

"Uh, thank you so much. I'll see you tomorrow." Ned said quickly turning around and wiping the bit of sweat on his forehead.

* * *

 _1:35 pm Hammerhead's old penthouse…_

Wilson Fisk's personal hitman, Big Man stood in front of the beautifully constructed penthouse that belonged to Hammerhead. Since the Maggia crime lord's arrest, the house had been auctioned off to public with a high price tagged to it.

The Big Man was a secretive person himself concealing his identity from the public using a fake skin mask over his face. He wore a black bowler hat and business suit to look his part and most importantly he wore gloves to leave no trace of his work.

Staring at the house, Big Man dialled up his phone to inform his boss about the property.

"This house is almost perfect. It has everything besides a pool." Big Man informed.

"How much was this house worth again?" Wilson's voice asked.

"$42 million estimate. Trust me, you would wanna buy it." Big Man advised, "He really likes this house, you know?"

"Anything that we can take will be worth the effort. When I have my hands on those assets, the real redevelopment of this neighbourhood will follow." Wilson said.

"Whatever floats your boat, sir." Big Man said before ending the call.

Accompanied by two other men under Wilson's payroll, Big Man signalled them to go back into the car. Just as he was about to leave, Big Man received a buzzing message.

"Great…He's on my ass again." Big Man said shaking his head.

 **End note: I decided to change the first name of 'Miles Warren' into something else to avoid confusion with 'Miles Morales' since he's one of the most popular characters in Spider-Man media now. It's also a way to make sure that I'm putting my own unique spin on the universe and not just carbon-copying everything based on source material.**


	3. Enter Electro

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 3)

 _2:30 pm Coffee Bean…_

Peter and Gwen decided to take their afternoon tea break at the nearby Coffee Bean café in Tribeca, a popular hotspot for any ESU student. Together the two shared their views on what they wanted to do for the future after looking through everything they were interested in.

"So what did you ask Professor Warren?" Peter wondered as he mixed the sugar in his coffee.

"Just wanted to see if he had any internship placements I could do." Gwen said playing with the cheesecake she ordered.

"Wait, so are you still planning on studying?" Peter asked.

"I am. But I really want to see if I could get into the work process of things." Gwen replied.

"You'd be lucky if you got the gig, Gwen." Peter said.

"Thanks. So…Um, I saw Ned today hanging out with a Spider-Man cosplayer on the campus ground." Gwen commented.

"You did? Wow, so nice to know someone from high school is at ES." Peter said pretending he does not know what happened.

"He was actually doing photos for the Daily Bugle. Shame, you didn't get to meet him. I was wondering where you went." Gwen said.

"Me? Uh…Bathroom." Peter excused himself.

"Okay.. By the way, don't you think it's weird that he was mostly taking photos of that one Spider-Man person before moving onto the other stuff?" Gwen questioned, "Bet he and that person had a strong bond."

"Hey…Uh…I'm sure Ned had more friends than just me." Peter said as he played around with his coffee while trying to brush off the idea that Gwen knows who he is.

"As far as the rest of high school was concerned, you were the only person who stood out as his friend." Gwen said, "Anyway, I heard people like Flash and Liz are here as well."

"Ah great…" Peter scoffed taking a sip out of his mug, "I gotta say I don't know if I'm ready to do further study yet. I want to check out other places first… You know… Like Baxter Scientific for instance."

"Well, you better think fast or the offers will be really gone." Gwen warned.

* * *

 _5:30 pm Parker residence…_

After the day at Empire State University was done, Peter got back home and stretched his arms and legs on the sofa as he turned on the television to watch some entertainment. At this time, Aunt May was still working her hours despite the fact she could finish her shift.

"Aunt May is always busy helping people." Peter said as he shifted through the channels and wondered what he wanted to watch.

"Hm…Movie? TV show? Documentary? What do I feel like watching?" Peter asked himself.

Peter then decided to settle with a television show and used his Netflix subscription to open up a show. As this happened, Peter's phone rang and he heard Aunt May speak to him on the ear.

"Peter, are you home yet?" May asked.

"Um…Yeah, Aunt May. I'm home." Peter answered before muting and pausing the television with the remote.

"Listen, I'm working till half past 9 today which means dinner is up to you." May requested, "While you're at it, I do want to remind you about the dishware if you're planning to cook."

"I'll stay away from it…" Peter laughed.

"Good, maybe when I have time I'll show you properly…" May said, "Take care now."

"Love you, Aunt May…" Peter said before hanging up the phone and resuming his television.

A minute into the show, Peter was interrupted again by another phone call by Gwen.

"Hello?" Peter asked.

"Peter, I've got some great news to share. Hey, what's the background noise I'm hearing?" Gwen questioned.

"Oh, sorry." Peter said as he muted the television, "Just watching _Mindhunter_. Fascinating show."

"Okay then. I just want to tell you that Professor Warren has accepted me for internship work." Gwen informed.

"Oh wow…Congrats." Peter replied.

"I guess my connections to Mr. Warren back at high school helped pay off more than anything." Gwen said, "I'm going to be part of his genetics research division."

"Oh great…Did he tell you the kind of work you're doing?" Peter asked.

"He thinks I'd be good for the data work. Write down the results after each practical is done." Gwen stated.

"Doesn't sound much, but it's nice that you're given the opportunity." Peter said, "Hope he's a cool guy as well."

"He's actually pretty awesome. He's oddly enough…Charming in his own way." Gwen said.

"Um…What?" Peter asked.

"I meant that he's a really smart and charismatic person. People really seem to like him." Gwen explained.

"Would love to meet him if I had the chance…" Peter said, "How is the family reacting?"

"My mum and dad are already proud. Little brother could care less." Gwen stated, "Anyway, I have to go back to them. Have fun watching your TV at home, Peter. Love you."

"Love you too…" Peter said as the phone went off.

Once both Aunt May and Gwen's calls were done, Peter prayed that he could just watch his show and finish off the episode he was onto. The last person Peter expects a call from would be through Ned and he hoped it would not be another Spider-Man photoshoot.

After about ten minutes into the episode, the television shut off abruptly causing Peter to shut off. Peter walked up to the television and checked the wirings and plug ins. He was sure that nothing had cut off.

"What the hell?" Peter wondered searching about while rapidly pressing the power button on the remote control.

Moving to the living room light switch, Peter flicked it before realising there has been a power outage which frustrated Peter. Moving to the window against his front yard, Peter looked at the electricity power pole but saw nothing unusual prompting him to go outside and check the power box. The power box was normal as well which caused Peter to suspect if the problem had to do with the local power plant nearby.

"Hm….Maybe I need to gear up and find what's going on." Peter said as he went back inside to suit up.

* * *

 _5:40 pm Forest Hills Queens Community Bank Branch…_

The local Queens Community Bank at Forest Hills had been broken down by a mysterious intruder who had smashed down the glass windows as well as charred up the bank leaving tiny sparks of electricity bouncing around. Some of the employees and citizens had been injured with parts of them sizzling from electrical shock.

The alarm and security cameras had been toasted making it difficult for evidence to left behind. Picking up a few wallets as well as pulling apart a few ATM machines, the intruder who was hooded made his way out of the area with the largest amount of money he could carry. Spider-Man arrived at the scene staring down at the bank and took a good look at who was responsible for the mess that was happening.

"Hey, you there! That's a quite mess you left behind." Spider-Man yelled before jumping down to confront the man.

Even through jumping down, Spider-Man still could not make out the face of the robber with the hoddie overlapping his head. However the man did respond to his words.

"Bout time I get to meet you." The man answered.

"You know if you're new to bank robbery then I think you failed already." Spider-Man said, "Just stay where you are and I won't have to kick your butt."

The man snickered before unleashing a wave of electricity out of his fingers and hurling it into Spider-Man's direction. Spider-Man dodged the attack in time as the electricity disappeared behind him.

"Electricity huh? You're not the first to fight me with it." Spider-Man said referring to the time he fought Eel.

"Like I have another choice." The man said back before hurling another bolt at his direction to which Spider-Man dodged again.

"I'm just going to make you keep missing unless you surrender and stop yourself from potentially hurting anyone else." Spider-Man said.

"Nah, just glad I have your attention from this mess somehow." The man said, "I've just been doing a little studying on how I might make you crawl out of your web."

"Okay, you want me right?" Spider-Man asked, "I'm here. What's the deal?"

"The deal is…Your little fights back then made me who I am. You might think you save people all the time but in my eyes, you ruin them!" The man shouted bitterly.

"OK, I admit it. I'm not perfect but I do my best." Spider-Man replied, "Can we talk this out any further?"

The man then shot out another bolt of electricity which was avoided by Spider-Man once again. Afterwards, the man was huffing and puffing a little after exerting the streak of electricity indicating to Spider-Man on how physical the attack is.

Spider-Man then leapt forward to bring the man down as he extended his arm out and reached for the rear light of a nearby car. Shattering the glass, the man absorbed a bit of electricity from the rear light with his hands which went through the skin of his hand.

Pinning the man down, Spider-Man attempted to knock him out before the man grabbed him by the arm and sent a jolt of electricity into his body knocking him backwards. Feeling the shock, Spider-Man attempted to feel the rest of his body as the man stood above him.

"Why don't you lie down there? I gotta do a little replenishing first." The man said as he walked away briefly leaving Spider-Man paralysed.

Spider-Man heard the sounds of more car lights shatter as well as a light pole nearby break which not only gave him to get back up but also figure out what is going on with his new foe.

"It looks as if he needs to external electrical sources to generate his electrical powers." Spider-Man thought as he slowly got back up.

The man turned around and grumbled once he absorbed enough electrical charge and readied himself as Spider-Man did as well.

"Of course…You're a not regular dude, alright?" The man commented while his hands flowed with electrical charge, "You're a guy who shoots webs and swings around like a superhuman."

Spider-Man then rushed forward and shot out some webs at the man's direction to which he used the electricity in his hands to melt down the webs. Spider-Man then aimed at the feet which was enough to stop the man from moving.

The man grumbled as he balanced himself as much as possible as Spider-Man made the big leap to kick him in the face. However the effort did not work as Spider-Man was zapped again falling onto the ground.

"You can't come near me. I'm less physical than I used to be." The man gloated as he watched Spider-Man groan in pain before unleashing a huge amount of electricity onto him.

"But you still walk with two feet…" Spider-Man quipped out as the electricity rained down on him.

"A joke? Ha, I'm sure gonna miss those out when you're fried." The man said as he continued bombarding Spider-Man with jolts of electricity.

As Spider-Man grew weaker from the electricity, he tried moving himself closer to a nearby fire hydrant. Once he shuffled himself close enough, he attempted to web up the hydrant and planned to fling it at the man. If that did not work then he hoped the water would.

With his last strength, Spider-Man tried to do exactly that but his growing weakness from the electricity stopped him. However his luck had been made, when the electricity accidently broke the fire hydrant causing water to spray out.

The water landed on the man causing his electrical powers to short circuit out while he was being weakened by the effects of water. Spider-Man with his regenerative powers recovered as the water rained down on him as well.

Realising his powers were disappearing, the man tore off his wet hoodie and threw it aside revealing his full appearance. The man was almost bald with little strands of hair sticking out indicating his hair was burnt off. He also bore a jagged star-like scar tissue on his face that covered most of his face. His attire consisted of a green jacket; an old yellow wife-beater; black pants and black rubber boots.

Spider-Man watched as his foe recovered and looked him in the eye. With fury, the man rushed forward to punch him but Spider-Man easily subdued him by knocking him down onto a puddle. Moving away from the fire hydrant's spray, Spider-Man examined the man's appearance.

"I don't recognise you…" Spider-Man commented before the sounds of police sirens drew near.

* * *

 _8:15 am Daily Bugle Building, 4th floor…_

The next day at the Bugle, John rushed into the kitchen room to see his colleagues waiting for him as they were sipping their coffee and tea. Robbie was the first to greet John as he sat down while giving everyone a funny look.

"What are you all smiling about?" John wondered.

"Well, Jonah. I think we have a new headline to cover regarding your favourite super-hero." Robbie said sipping his tea.

"Don't make me demote or fire you, Robbie. I need you on your job." John said, "Alright, tell me."

"Spider-Man had been fighting with a new foe last night." A female employee commented.

"At his local neighbourhood, he was fighting some guy wielding electricity." Betty added drinking her latte.

"What did I tell you, everyone? Without the Shocker, the menace was looking for a new friend to wreak havoc with." John said confidently, "Who the heck is this guy anyway?"

"His name was Maxwell Dillon…" Robbie commented as he showed a Daily Globe article on his phone, "He was a local electrician who was involved in an accident cleaning up a power plant mess the day Spider-Man took down Hammerhead."

"I knew it! Spider-Man is always breaking things just so he can make new friends. That's how he gets his 'enemies', he encourages them to become freaks on their own!" John said accusingly.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jameson." Frederick interrupted who had been chewing on his waffle as well as sipping his honey lemon tea.

"What is it, Foswell?" John asked.

"With your permission, I think this will be the next article I will pursue for today." Frederick said, "After all, me and my intern might go down to Queens together to uncover what happened."

"Well you better take him with you this time… That's a must." John instructed.

"Of course, it might factor into the Oscorp power plant stuff I'm investigating." Frederick said before he worried about what to do with Ned.

"Alright, everyone. Take your snacks back to your office, we got a lot to write about." John said clapping his hands together, "Robbie, stick with me for a moment."

As everyone else left the room, John and Robbie were the only two left. The two discussed matters on what to do regarding the latest Spider-Man incident.

"It's a pity we can't use the name 'Shocker'. What do you think, Robbie? Got any ideas on what we could call this electrical based menace?" John asked.

"Uh…I'm not really bright with name calling like you but I can spout out a few words like 'Charger' or 'Bolt'." Robbie suggested.

"Meh…What about…'Crazy Lightning'?" John suggested, "Actually, scrap that. He's still fairly new."

"Electrical-Man?" Robbie added.

"Oh yes… Keep the word, 'electric'. I think I have it…" John said excitedly.

A brief moment of silence followed as Robbie waited for what John had to say.

"Electrocutioner…" John said as he brainstormed the name, "No, too long and trademarked. How about… Electro-…Oh wait…"

"You got it yet, Jonah?" Robbie questioned.

"Yes I have it! ELECTRO! Ha, yes! Robbie, make sure the Globe hasn't taken that name yet. We're gonna use it to our advantage! 'THE SPARK OF A NEW SPIDER-MAN FOE: ELECTRO'." John said with excitement, "We got it, Robbie!"

"Like always, Jonah." Robbie said rolling his eyes a little.

"What are you waiting for? Get that article ready!" John ordered.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. Jobs and Internships

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 4)

 _8:32 am Stacy Private Investigations…_

Spider-Man came into George Stacy's office during the morning to talk about the incident that happened last night. The two not only have a close relation on scene but also in office. Ever since George resigned from his NYPD duties, he had much more freedom to run his own operations and work closely with Spider-Man.

"Maxwell Dillon, electrician from Endicott. He's been working in New York City for around 8 years." George stated looking at his laptop.

"Seemed like a bitter guy when I met him." Spider-Man commented, "I wonder how he got those powers."

"Let's start with some history first." George scrolling the mousepad downwards to read up some information.

"He's an only child from his family. Highest earned education was only through secondary education meaning his work might have started early." George informed, "He got married to a woman named Norma Lynn before getting a divorce."

"Did he ever get into trouble beforehand?" Spider-Man wondered wanting to know about his criminal records.

"He's been convicted of a few incidents before. One incident for physical assault and one for drink driving. He also has 'domestic violence' as one of his offences which should tell us how well his personal life had been." George continued, "Now it seems robbery is the latest."

"Okay…Looks like our new friend, Maxie has a few things behind him." Spider-Man noted, "Though the real question for me is the beef he has against me."

"Can you recall?" George asked.

"Had something to do with the time I was fighting the Eel when Hammerhead was around." Spider-Man said, "Apparently I'm responsible in a way for who he is now."

"Well, if you meet him again then ask him why he was performing bank robberies." George said, "Some things have to be his own doing."

"I hope this isn't detrimental to the Spider-Man name." Spider-Man said before groaning in pain and holding onto his chest.

"You okay?" George asked as he got up from his chair.

"He really did a number on me yesterday with the amount of shocks I've endured." Spider-Man replied recalling the fight, "Should have brought rubber gloves to deal with him."

Spider-Man then moved closer to the window in which he had entered George's office.

"Just keep doing what you do, George. I'll be out in the neighbourhood as always." Spider-Man said before opening the window and jumping out.

* * *

 _9:00 am Professor Warren's Lab, ESU…_

Today was a special day for Gwen as she started her day with helping out Professor Miller Warren on her internship. Joining at least six other interns, she walked alongside them as Miller guided them on a brief tour.

"Here is the basis of our work…" Miller said proudly showing off a laboratory behind a glass window, "State of the art equipment; spaced out desks and the most up to date safety measures. The technicians we hired are also a friendly bunch."

Miller then waved at the group of people behind the class before letting them continue with their work. Gwen's impression of the place was positive as she contrasted the quality of the workplace and wondered if Peter would be impressed as well.

"Professor, how dangerous does the lab work get?" One girl asked.

"Nothing major. We had a few people incur injuries related to corrosives and other chemical related incidents. But everyone is still alive after that." Miller answered, "It's the same with physical related injuries. Just know your basics. No running or any rough behaviour."

Unlocking the door leading to the lab with his card, Miller lead the interns inside in which a more detailed look was given. The test tubes were neatly stacked as were the volatile chemical bottles stored behind cabinets. The waste disposal bins were also neatly placed. For Gwen, the most important detail noted was the place being really sterile and odourless.

"Every week, the quality assurance people come in and we keep this place polished for not just our workers but also visitors. Let me tell you, we've had some important guests come to ESU in the past." Miller said, "Anyway, there's more exciting stuff to show off."

Leading them to another door with the label 'AUTHORISED ONLY', Miller opened the door up and made each of the interns go down a spiral staircase. Gwen found this to be a strange addition to the otherwise normal lab and curious what kind of things would a university lab be hiding if it is so secretive.

"I'm going to ask for no photos when we go down here. I'm showing you all this to explain what I am doing as a research project and what I am expecting from you as interns." Miller said in a more serious tone.

Going down the staircase, the path was dark as no lights were present which sometimes led to accidental tripping. Gwen was the last in line which gave her time to watch her footing without being pressured too much by people behind her to move forward.

As they finally moved to the bottom floor, the room lit up like it was some sort of secret base. Standing behind the other interns, Gwen noticed some things stationed were similar to the laboratory upstairs. Otherwise there were some really strange devices that she managed to get a peek at.

There was a large centrifuge cabinet alongside other things such as a thermal cycler and an autoclave oven. The place also had computer mainframes which were meant to screen data as well as store other information that Miller has access to. However the most fascinating thing was a glass chamber with strap on seat in it.

"The last few years, the university has granted me the honours to have this place built. Normally you don't get this kind of thing with any other place…" Miller said attempting to marvel the crowd, "Meaning I had push hard and commit. And for me, it's an achievement."

"Has a mad scientist vibe to it." Gwen thought, "But it's still sort of surreal."

"For you people, this place is where I see the results of my work personally and I'm going to require you to help me through some little experiments I'm tasking you with. Now I understand that not everyone doing this internship is on equal level which means I'm going to space things out." Miller explained.

Looking at every intern and especially Gwen, Miller's eyes seemed to hide something as it felt as if he was analysing each of them like they were the test subjects. Gwen felt a little strange and showed a hint of discomfort which went away as soon as Miller started talking again.

"My point in bringing you all here is that you're all part of my research project regarding genetics. Remember what I stated at orientation week? The greatest resource is ultimately going to be you guys. This project is about finding the right formula to make everyone as healthy as possible." Miller continued.

"Like a serum?" Gwen questioned.

"Yes…" Miller said, "Sometimes. Precision medicine. For those of you who are studying genetics in class, you know what I'm talking about. Imagine a world where no one suffers from premature deaths due to disease or cancer. Because we have problem-solved their natural background."

"Professor…How certain are you with the success of your project?" A Hispanic boy in the group asked.

"Believe it or not. The odds are 99.1% for me…I have a vision on how this is going to work…" Miller replied, "Anyway, enough of this place. Let's go back to the lab."

The interns all walked back upstairs with Gwen being last again only this time Professor Warren followed from behind. As they walked, Gwen thought that Miller was staring at her only to find that it seems he wanted to get back to the lab as fast as possible.

As they reached back to the lab, Miller quickly closed the staircase door behind him locking it and walked up to a whiteboard to write something down. Picking up a black marker, he wrote down the name of the project.

'PRECISION MEDICINE: A CURE FOR EVERYONE'

As Miller wrote the words down, the same Hispanic boy who had asked Miller the question on the project's chances said something to Gwen.

"This is a pretty ambiguous science project." He said, "Even for a guy like him."

"I'm actually curious to see what goes down in this internship." Gwen stated.

"Me too, amiga…" The boy said, "My name's Anton by the way. Anton Rodríguez."

"Gwen Stacy. Gwen is short for Gwendolyn." Gwen replied, "Nice to meet you."

Gwen then took out her hand to which Anton shook.

"Good luck with whatever you're doing here, Gwen…" Anton said.

* * *

 _9:45 am Oscorp Power Plant…_

Arriving at the plant around Ditmars Steinway, Frederick and Ned came out of Frederick's own car to prepare for the article John ordered for Frederick to write on. Frederick was reluctant to bring Ned along for the investigation as not only was Ned inexperienced but also it could bring down the quality of his investigation.

"Hey, you two. This site is strictly off limits for people who don't work for Oscorp…" One Oscorp plant worker said walking up to the pair.

"And what about people working for the media? The Daily Bugle?" Frederick asked, "Me and my photographer just want to survey a few things. Particularly with regards to the incident here related to Maxwell Dillon."

"But you already covered that story ages ago." The worker replied.

"Haven't you heard the news lately? This is crucial." Frederick said, "Also I have something I want to tell you."

Frederick then walked up to the worker and did as he promised whispered a couple of words in his ear. Ned watched confused and wondered what Frederick was trying to hide from him. The worked moved back a little confused.

"Why?" The worker asked, "Why would he be interested with this place?"

"It's business. It's happening soon." Frederick said, "Now, may we pass please? I promise we won't mess around with your business."

"Sure…There's not much you can find around here. We cleaned this place up." The worker said.

Both Ned and Frederick were then given protective worker wear as well as VIP badges before entering the plant with the worker as their guide. For Oscorp, a good amount of money had been spent to repair what had been broken during Spider-Man's activities.

"So…Uh.. Do I get to know what you whispered to that guy?" Ned said readying his camera.

Frederick said nothing in response in first before he broke off the silent treatment.

"Stick with me, kid. I'll show you the steps into good journalism." Frederick said.

The worker then led the two of them to a transformer and started conversing as if it was a tour.

"This is where Mr. Dillon got the shock. If you want that picture, now is your chance." The worker said.

Ned then got out his camera and took a couple of snapshots at the machine and the newly constructed power grid poles.

"Fascinating…Hey, Bryan is it?" Frederick asked looking at the worker's nametag, "You don't mind a few interview questions don't you?"

After getting enough pictures and information at the place, Ned and Frederick were escorted out immediately and made it back to the car.

"Hey, Ned...Uh…You wait for me. Gotta make an important business call." Frederick said pulling out his phone.

"Um okay…Is it stuff with Jameson?" Ned said.

"Yeah for sure…" Frederick snickered before motioning Ned to get inside.

As Ned got in, he patiently waited in his seat while Frederick dialled up a number. To kills some time, Ned decided to play a mobile game on his own phone.

"Boss, you there? I got the intel from the Oscorp power plant." Frederick said.

* * *

 _1:30 pm The Raft…_

The Raft was built in response to the unpopularity of Ryker's Island which it is stationed next to. Its function has not just provided a new haven for New York's worst but it has been the one place for the most unique and important criminals in town.

Hammerhead was still locked up in his own cell with rumours circulating that he will be released thanks to his Maggia allies but as of now he was secured as tight as possible. The Raft also housed a few more rogues that have fought against Spider-Man which include Kangaroo and Cyclone. The only ones who did not make the cut into the Raft were Beetle who had been inducted into a secret government program and Shocker who was locked up in the Ryker's Island prison.

As a supermax prison, the Raft was also constructed in a way that would be able to house any human mutates making it easy to house its latest prisoner, Maxwell Dillon who had been called 'Electro' by the Daily Bugle. Max had been given his own cell in which the sprinkler system above him constantly turned once in a while just to dull his electrical powers.

To add to his humiliation, sometimes the guards would bring hoses. Max's misery in the Raft was matched by the fact he would never wear proper dry prison clothes. This time however, the odds may change for him with a special visitor coming to meet him.

"Mr. Dillon, you got a guest coming to see you on your first day. Lucky man." A guard informed.

"Hope it's my mother…" Max spat embracing himself after a round of cold water.

The automatic doors to his room slid open and Max came face to face with the large man himself, Wilson Fisk. Wilson was dressed formally in black suit and purple tie while approaching Max's cell.

"Ah…The Big Man, is it? This might be a moment I'll never forget." Max said, "Care to join me in this shower?"

"Mr. Dillon…My name is Wilson Fisk. I'm…One of the people who helped fund and build this prison." Wilson introduced revealing part of the Raft's origins.

"So you're the warden here, is that it?" Max asked.

"I understand that this is not a time to…Make fun of you." Wilson said, "Clearly I have my own brand of pity that I'm bringing for you."

"That ain't enough." Max said briefly while sparks flowed through his entire body.

"I heard about your accident at the Oscorp power plant. A real tragedy really…I can imagine how your work and life were affected." Wilson continued.

"Listen, Big Man. These sweet words don't mean anything to me unless it's something you're offering to me." Max said.

"I'm here to tell you that I'm currently seeking to redevelop the neighbourhood that you were in and I'm appealing to anyone affected by the events. Anyone who is affected by their 'hero', Spider-Man." Wilson said prompting a strong response from Max.

"You here to give me sweet revenge, huh?" Max said intrigued.

Wilson looked at Max giving him a look of sympathy before saying anything further.

"Your abilities are fascinating. Clearly you are special if you somehow survived your accident…" Wilson said.

"Yeah, my whole body changed from the touch of electricity. That Oscorp stuff sure meant something." Max replied.

"My father used to tell me that with great power…There's great authority." Wilson said, "Perhaps I could help you with that."

"What are you offering that's in my interests? Didn't you say you were a business man?" Max questioned.

"I'm man with power and where I see fit, I see to it. If you want out of this cell now, you can follow me and I'll put you under employ for my business." Wilson persuaded.

"Beats this place…" Max said with his whole body beginning to glow a bright yellow causing the guards to raise their guns before Wilson told them all to calm down.

"Don't get too excited yet, Mr. Dillon. I have to get my lawyers first to help clear your name." Wilson said.

* * *

 _4:05 pm Parker residence…_

Peter had spent his day being home alone due to the lack of a job while going out of the house from time to time to be Spider-Man. Despite the house's electricity being cut off due to Electro's attack, Peter still had enough power in his laptop to do things.

As the clock ticked, Peter finally received an email from ESU regarding an engineering scholarship on his laptop and opened it up to see if he had got it. His smile went away as soon as he read the email to himself.

 _Dear Mr. Parker_

 _We regret to inform you that you will not be able to proceed forward with the scholarship for Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering due to your academic performance not missing the standard requirements._

 _However do not be disappointed as there are plenty of opportunities still open for you._

 _Empire State University_

"Are you serious?! I missed the mark?" Peter complained feeling like he wanted to punch the laptop screen.

As he was looking through his email, Peter also happened to be working on his Spider suit in which he thought about adding proper electrical insulation prior to the encounter with Electro. He opened up the suit and worked his way into placing pieces of rubber beneath it.

"If only I show this to appeal for my scholarship." Peter said to himself stitching up the suit before examining it.

"Probably won't work. Guess I'll have to figure out a new suit to deal with electricity." Peter said peeling off the rubber pieces, "Or I have to keep using Uncle Ben's old gloves and maybe his rubber boots…"

Peter then pushed his suit aside and decided to go on social media feed to check what is going on. Before when he had no laptop, Peter only bothered people through texting or phone calls. This time, everything happened to be more interactive.

There were some people Peter reconnected with like Mary Jane who has an astounding number of people following her stacking up at 1347 people. People like Flash Thompson or Liz Allan have around 700-800 people. Ned has 203 people; Gwen had 423 while Peter only had 129. Out of all the people Peter had, there was one person who hadn't connected with him and that was Harry Osborn.

Knowing that Gwen might be having a good day at ESU herself, Peter decided to check on Ned and see what is up with his friend as of late. After messaging him, Peter then got a Facetime response on his laptop in which their chatting began.

"Hey Peter, how you're doing?" Ned asked sitting his own room.

"Life sucks…I didn't get into the scholarship. Adult life is gonna kill me before I turn 20…" Peter said.

"Well, you have your job right?" Ned asked.

"What job?" Peter said, "I'm never doing wrestling ever again and I'm sure as hell not going to be a pizza boy. The only thing I ever get to do is be a hero which doesn't get anything for me."

"Oh come on…You're making people smile at least with what you do." Ned said.

"You think I'd be an Avenger, huh?" Peter said, "Come on, I'm thinking 'normal' here."

"Dude, relax. You're Peter Parker, you're one of the smartest kids from Midtown High." Ned said.

"Smart to pass school but dumb to pass life. That's what I think." Peter said, "Sorry if I'm moping by the way."

"Hey dude, if you have time tomorrow. Maybe you can stop by the Bugle? We can catch up again and you know I'll see if there's a position you can get there." Ned said.

"The Daily Bugle? Oh great…" Peter groaned knowing that the Bugle constantly bad mouths him as Spider-Man.

"Honestly J. Jonah Jameson is actually a pretty cool dude. It really feels like greatness working there. Plus you do realise his son is an astronaut and while his wife is a lead biologist at ESU?" Ned said.

"Right because he has money…" Peter said with a hint of cynicism.

"Look I know those blogs he writes and such are blasphemy but you gotta give people a chance at face value." Ned said, "Peter, I'm trying to help you as a friend here."

"Yeah I know…I'm just in a state of being driven crazy by disappointment here." Peter said with a sigh.

"Come on, dude. The Daily Bugle really like new recruits." Ned encouraged.

Peter looked down before he could give a straight answer.

"Fine…I'll be there. Let me know the time and everything." Peter said accepting Ned's invitation.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: The next couple of weeks might have a slow down in chapter release because I have other things to deal with in my life such as studying and work. Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	5. Peter's New Job

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 5)

 **Note: Apologies to the previous chapter which had more words than usual due to the expositional parts.**

 _8:25 am Daily Bugle Building, 1_ _st_ _floor…_

Waking up early to get to Manhattan alone was no easy feat for Peter as he had mentally prepared to meet up with Ned at the time of his work. Running towards the building, Peter pushed the glass door huffing and puffing.

"Dude, you made it…" Ned said.

"Yeah, I made it. Just in time…If only the subway didn't slow me down." Peter replied feeling drained.

"Why don't you sit down?" Ned said helping Peter to the longue seat.

As Peter sat down, he relaxed as he strung up his tie.

"You up for coffee or tea?" Ned asked as he took a sip from his own Daily Bugle mug.

"Nah…" Peter gestured.

"You know it's quite routine now to just have a cup of caffeine." Ned said, "Though I'm kind of surprised that you're tired getting here. I mean, I get it…Forest Hills to Madison Avenue is kind of rough."

"Well, it's good thing to note that I'm still somewhat human like everybody else." Peter said noting that even with his superpowers, he still had physical limits like everybody else, "Say, what position am I getting here?"

"To be honest, it really depends. But I'm sure Jameson has something that you can do." Ned said, "Oh yeah…I think this is also a good opportunity for you to help me out with something."

"Uh sure…Name it." Peter said.

"See that lady over there?" Ned whispered looking at Betty Brant stationed at the reception desk.

"Yeah?" Peter replied.

"Shhh…" Ned hushed before whispering, "Listen, every time I see this woman I get the case of butterflies. You know what I'm saying?"

"Oh, I see…" Peter said noting that Ned was in love.

"So I thought you could wingman for me and help me approach her…" Ned said.

"Ned, I'm not that kind of guy…" Peter said back.

"Tell that to people like MJ…Or you know, Gwen." Ned said.

"They'll tell you how much of a dork I am." Peter said, "And yes, let's throw in the word 'cute'."

"See? I thought you knew your stuff." Ned said.

Peter placed the palm of his own hand onto his face once Ned had said that. He may be his friend but he would not deny the times that made him cringe.

"Hey, I'm sorry… I mean we don't we have to do this right now." Ned said.

"You know what, Ned?" Peter said getting up, "You need to man up. Pay attention."

With a bit of bravery, Peter walked up to Betty adjusting his look and smiling as he approached her. Betty noticed Peter and gave a sweet smile back in response.

"Welcome to the Daily Bugle. May I help you?" Betty asked.

"Uh…Hi…I'm Peter Parker. I'm a friend of Ned Leeds…" Peter introduced.

"I see…Is there a reason why he brought you here?" Betty asked again while she gave Ned a little wave.

"Well…Um…" Peter said tapping his own foot, "My friend recommended the Bugle to me. Said there's a lot of good job positions for people like me."

"I'm sorry…I don't think we have advertised any positions as of late. You'll have to take those words to Mr. Jameson up there." Betty informed.

"Okay then…" Peter said, "So how are things going for you here?"

Betty took notice of Peter's smile and felt like there was a charm to him. Between him and Ned, she was interested in what Peter's purpose was.

"I'd say I'm happy with my work, thank you very much. My name is Elizabeth Brant by the way, you can call me 'Betty'. I…Actually think Ned has mentioned you before." Betty said, "Nice to finally meet you."

Peter laughed before he spoke.

"Awesome. Um…Am I distracting you from your work?" Peter wondered.

"Actually… Customer service is part of my work." Betty giggled back before the phone rang to which Betty picked up.

"Miss Brant? Where's Mr. Leeds? I need him in my office!" John demanded over the phone.

"Ned? Mr. Jameson wants to see you." Betty called out.

"Ah yes, in a moment…" Ned said, "Peter, let's go."

"See you later, Betty." Peter said as Ned escorted him away.

"You too, Peter Parker…" Betty said while waving goodbye to him.

* * *

 _Elevator…_

"Nice to hear there's music in his elevator." Peter said as he stood next to his friend.

"I think that went fairly well…" Ned said, "Kind of learnt a few things from you."

"Glad to hear that…" Peter said before the elevator doors opened.

* * *

 _J. Jonah Jameson's office, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

"Mr. Urich is on schedule. The rest are kind of struggling…" Robbie said.

"If I fire them, the Globe will get their notice in reporting how 'terrible' we are and that is something I am not going to stand for!" John said looking out to his window with his view of Manhattan.

"Maybe opening up our doors to the simple and quiet things around New York may keep things afloat." Robbie advised.

"Robbie, come on. No one wants to read about Mrs. Dinkleberry and her greenhouse garden. Everyone wants the exciting stuff…Kind of like how everyone on the internet is looking for the next meme" John said.

"Well, I hope you make the right decision." Robbie said preferring not to argue with his friend.

Soon enough, Ned came through into the office with Peter right behind him.

"Ah, just the man I wanted to see. Leeds, present the pictures." John instructed.

Ned then got out the pictures he took the other day when he and Frederick went to the power plant to investigate on Max Dillon.

"If only we got photos ages ago…" John said shaking his head while holding onto one of the photos.

"They covered up this accident for quite some time…" Ned said to John, "Which is why I got them now."

"Alright, you know what? I guess Foswell will have to make it up with his article." John said before noticing Peter, "Who's the boy behind you?"

Peter tensed up as he walked up to John before calming himself down to greet him. He then extended his own hand out and shook John's hand.

"Hello, Mr. Jameson. My name is Peter Parker…" Peter said, "I'm here looking for a job."

"Woof…That's a firm hand. Anyway, welcome to Daily Bugle. I'm glad you know who I am before introducing myself." John said as he twitched his own moustache, "A job you say? Well show me a CV first."

Peter then got took out his own resume on paper and presented to John. The stern looking eyes on John carefully shifted as he read the two pages of Peter's resume.

"You sound like you should be working in a lab compared to here." John said after he finished reading.

"Um…That's okay." Peter stated.

"Actually…You two, you and Leeds. Could you stay outside the office door for a moment? Robbie, stay with me." John said, "Oh and close the door while I'm at it."

Peter and Ned did as they were told and waited as John and Robbie conversed within the office.

"You know I really appreciate this, Ned." Peter said, "But I don't know if this is going anywhere."

"Just trying my best…" Ned said back, "Maybe if not here, he could recommend elsewhere."

After the mumbling behind John's office was finished, John opened the door to speak about his decision.

"Alright, Parker. Here's what I think." John stated, "I think…You are a talented genius. It would be a waste if we rejected you. So you know what? Are you freelancing? Cause if you are…I can give you a chance to be here. So long as you can prove your worth."

"Wait, so am I hired here?" Peter questioned.

"Absolutely, you seem like a nice guy. Gotta give Mr. Leeds some credit also… The Bugle has expanded." John said before laughing and patting Peter on the back.

"Thank you, Mr. Jameson…" Peter said while his mind was torn on working with the guy who publishes anti Spider-Man articles and finally settling on work.

"This is our comeback against the Globe. Our organisation just grows while they whine about their 'papers'. It's not just the work. It's about the networking, the socialisation!" John proclaimed.

"So what am I doing?" Peter wondered.

"I need more folks at the 1st floor. Miss Brant will be asked to supervise you. Poor Miss Brant… As much hard work she puts in, I do worry about her mind breaking and her life outside of work. You'll go down there and sort our archival documents. Sort things where they are." John instructed, "Welcome to the Bugle, Mr. Parker."

* * *

 _10:35 am Professor Warren's Lab, ESU…_

"Alright, just 1 mL of stabilising solution and we'll call it a day's worth of experimenting." Miller said, "We'll talk theory in the afternoon."

Gwen worked with her new friend, Anton Rodríguez as she carefully pipetted one drop of solution into a microfuge tube. They were helping Miller develop a trial medicine that he intends on testing. The two of them watched as the solution turned yellow.

"Bring the tubes over once the solution's the greenish yellow colour. They'll be stored in a cooler overnight and after that…The test trials will begin." Miller said as he watched his students pass the tubes to him on a rack.

"Thank you everyone, enjoy university life now." Miller said dismissing the students.

 _Empire State University Campus…_

"I thought that was going to be more stressful." Anton said as he walked with Gwen on campus grounds, "Professor Warren really likes to do his own work sometimes."

"That's so different. Back in high school, his brother gave us all the work as much as possible." Gwen replied.

"Wait a minute…What are you talking about?" Anton asked confused.

"I went to Midtown High. One of the head science teachers there was Mr. Raymond Warren." Gwen explained.

"Oh I see…Back then, the way I had to learn science is nothing compared to what you had." Anton stated.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"I was thirteen when I came to the States with my familia. We didn't have good education back then… It was all over the place." Anton said shaking his head a little.

"Uh…If you don't mind me asking. Where did you come from originally?" Gwen asked.

"Delvadia.." Anton replied, "It's a place between Colombia and Ecuador. Not many people have heard about it. The place is at war."

"Lucky you…I hope you're not missing your home too much." Gwen said as she decided to stop and sit on the grass.

"I do… One day though. I want the people there to find peace." Anton said as he sat down too before turning to Gwen, "What about you? American life working out for you?"

"Everything is…Fine. I come from a loving family. Even my little brother is someone I'm cool with." Gwen said.

"Same with my familia. We all love each other; no matter the hardships… At least that's what I tell them." Anton said, "Oh yes…Speaking of hermanas or hermanos, as in your sisters or brothers. It's good to connect with them. Makes you feel super supported at home."

"Wow… Got any tips on dealing with little brothers?" Gwen asked.

"There's quite a number of people in my familia." Anton laughed before frowning a little, "Some of my hermanos were lost in the war back home. But the key to good relations all boils to knowing how fragile we can be as humans."

"Look, I guess I can stop right there." Gwen said, "Shall we find a place to eat? Or a place to study?"

"We can find a place that can be both…" Anton said before smiling.

"Yeah, just what I was thinking." Gwen stated, "Oh by the way, I have a boyfriend I'm planning to catch up with later that day."

"Oh, a boyfriend? Okay…" Anton said before he stopped smiling, "I wasn't…You know. Just being friendly. It's how I get along with people."

"Actually, sorry for misinterpreting. My boyfriend's kind of having it rough as of late. He's texted me that ESU has rejected him and he's been job hunting also. I hope he's doing okay…" Gwen said getting up.

"Well, give him my condolences." Anton said as the two started walking to find another spot.

* * *

 _9:35 am Daily Bugle 1_ _st_ _floor…_

Early on, Peter had already began working. John was giving Peter the same chance he gave to Ned as he worked his way through before John could decide if he is worth keeping around and paying. As such, Peter was examining boxes in the archive room and saw that some of them kept old Bugle articles in them.

"Is Jameson giving away secrets?" Peter asked himself while he looked at the boxes chronicling the year in which articles are written.

Suddenly, the door to the archive room opened with Betty coming in.

"Hey, everything okay here?" Betty asked with a smile as she carried a box.

"Fine…I don't think I messed up so far." Peter said.

"Even if you did, don't stress. Mr. Jameson isn't mean for the sake of it. He's very open-hearted with the people he works with." Betty said, "It's what I… Told Ned when he first came here."

"I see…Um, do you need help?" Peter said as he noticed Betty was struggling with what appears to be a heavy box.

"Please…" Betty said as Peter approached and helped her. Together, Peter's strength made it easy for Betty to carry.

"Just over there." Betty said as she directed Peter to put the box next to others.

As they put the box down where it needed to go, Betty gave Peter a compliment.

"I didn't expect you to be strong…" Betty commented.

"Um, thanks?" Peter said while realising he had given Betty a bit of a display of his superhuman powers.

"No need." Betty said, "I hope you…Have all the time possible to help me out today. I'm grateful that I finally get to watch over someone's training."

"I'm ready to impress." Peter smiled, "Say, anything else special about this place?"

"Taxes; city government notices. If they come in paper that is…" Betty replied, "I heard you're a good mathematician."

"That's true…" Peter said, "Is there something that needs solving?"

"Sure is…" Betty said pulling out her phone from her skirt pocket and showed Peter the account paper.

"I want to make sure the revenue for our place is correct. I'm hoping I didn't mess up with the amount of reader subscription fee we earned and the number of papers sold." Betty said to Peter.

While she explained it, Peter felt Betty nudge close to him which made Peter's heart race a little.

"Oh god…" Peter thought to himself as he wondered how this even happened.

"Well, you see…" Peter said looking at the phone screen, "Obviously we need to change the value here…."

Peter then edited what was on the phone for Betty and corrected it.

"See? Now it's accurate." Peter said passing the phone back.

"Even with a calculator, I would still miss this…" Betty said as she pocketed her phone away, "I'm glad for your help, Pete."

"Pete…Oh god, that name is…" Peter said remembering a time when MJ called him that as well as Gwen at certain points.

"If I had a word with Jameson now. I'd sing my praises…" Betty said again, "Say…When the work break comes. You should come grab some coffee with me."

"Uh, that's nice and all. But um…" Peter said before thinking of his relation to both Ned and Gwen.

"Uh, Peter…" Ned said standing at the door before Peter and Betty turned around and stopped what they were doing.

"Oh, hey Ned…" Peter said, "Just finished sorting out his place."

"Oh good…Cause we can catch a break now." Ned said to him, "You wanna walk Manhattan with me?"

"Oh that'd be great… Uh, see you later, Miss Brant." Peter said before rushing to Ned. As this happened, Betty stared blankly before she shook her head after failing to develop her chemistry with Peter even further.

* * *

 _9:45 am Empire State Building, bottom…_

"I saw you flirting with her…" Ned said while being a little upset.

"I swear…I was just being professional as possible." Peter insisted while his friend accused him.

"You know, I guess it's cause I'm fat…" Ned said, "You on the other hand…Have already mastered looks after ditching your glasses and stuff back then."

"I still look like a bean sprout in front of people like Flash Thompson." Peter said, "It has to come down to you as a person, Ned."

"Oh, right… Please… Just try…" Ned said, "You know…"

"You have my word. It won't happen again, I swear. I'll explain everything to her when we get back." Peter said before seeing the Empire State Building ahead of him.

"I took a picture of that place by the way when I went for the job at the Bugle." Ned said to Peter, "Got real cred from Robbie and eventually Jameson."

"Yeah, this is like my…Second or third time seeing the Empire State Building." Peter said, "Reminds me of old times with Harry and MJ."

Ned got out his digital camera and started taking pictures of the Building by attempting different angles and lightings. As Peter watched his friend do his thing before asking him a few things.

"So I didn't see your supervisor there. And you and him apparently went to an Oscorp power plant the other day?" Peter questioned referring to Frederick.

"Yeah, we were chasing stuff up on Spider-Man." Ned replied as he was focusing his lens, "Like pander to Jameson's hate towards him."

"Of course…Well, I think I want to find out why the hate. What's driving him crazy?" Peter asked.

"Beats me. He's chasing popularity I think." Ned said as he clicked his digital camera.

Peter then looked at Ned being busy with the camera before looking at the Empire State Building.

"Hey, you know what? Seeing as how Jameson wants Spider-Man pics. I have an idea." Peter said.

"What is it?" Ned questioned before Peter whispered into his ear, "What?! Are you crazy?"

"I am…For your sake and Jameson's. I think Jameson will be mind blown." Peter stated.

"How am I going to take the picture? You're gonna be a pixel in the frame." Ned saidd.

"I'll take the photo…" Peter insisted.

"What?" Ned replied dumbfounded.

"Yes, I'm gonna have to borrow that camera of yours to do this." Peter requested.

"Um…I can't lose this. It's precious." Ned said holding his camera to his chest.

"Was it always like that?" Peter said reminding Ned of the time he used to lend him the camera when fighting as Spider-Man.

"It's my job…" Ned replied.

"I've borrowed it before and it was fine. Besides…If anything happens, I'll pay you for a new one. Also I have sticky fingers." Peter said.

Ned thought hard about this before agreeing to Peter's proposal to which he put the camera in Peter's hand.

* * *

 _Empire State Building, top…_

After Peter had changed into his costume he began swinging upwards the Empire State Building and scaled it. Once he reached the rooftop height, he began using his fingers to wall crawl and balance himself as he climbed.

As this was happening, people inside the Empire State Building took notice as they witnessed Spider-Man crawl the building. Some of the people who were children attempted to wave at him to which Peter waved back as much as possible.

"Oh my god…I don't think it's the height. I think it's idea on if I'm going to breathe here." Peter thought as his fingertips were almost in reach of the antenna on top.

Finally, Peter triumphantly got to the top and began to observe his surroundings. He could see all of Manhattan as well as Brooklyn, Queens and the Heights in the distance across both Hudson and East River. The cold air blew on his mask as he viewed the majority of New York City.

"Oh man, I can't wait for Chrysler Building next." Peter said while holding onto the antenna of the building while breathing through his mask. He then took out the digital camera out of his utility belt and snapped his first picture of himself on top of the building.

Later, Peter also posed with bunny ear fingers for the camera to which he relied on his feet to balance himself. Being on top of one of New York City's highest buildings was a joy for Peter Parker as he took the time to immerse himself.

"Better cross this off my to-do list now." Peter noted once he finished with the pictures.

Putting the camera into the buckle of his belt, Peter peered to the streets down below and thought about getting down. At first, he felt afraid but he constantly reminded himself of his own powers.

"Actually you know what?" Peter said before letting his hand go off the antenna and leaping off.

Peter was then freefalling in the air in which he grabbed out the camera again snapping a photo of him in mid-air posing with his fingers. The Empire State Building was also behind him as a background.

* * *

 _10:05 am Daily Bugle building, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

John was bewildered by the photos he had just received. The thought of Spider-Man being on top of the Empire State Building began to fill him with many things. He looked to every employee seated in the meeting room.

"You know what kinds of things climb to the top of the Empire State? Monsters…That's what Spider-Man is!" John said, "No human can physically make themselves climb that tower."

"But aren't these the kinds of photos you're looking for?" Ned wondered.

"Don't you dare, Mr. Leeds. You have made a deal with the devil…" John said.

"Wrong hero, Jonah…" Robbie added.

"Please Robbie…" John said dismissing his correction, "That's not what a hero does. That's what an idiot does. A reckless being."

"Maybe he isn't just fighting crime all the time. I think he wants to have fun…" Peter said trying to defend himself.

"Oh lord…If the next generation of kids think this is 'fun', we obviously have failed role models." John said crossing his arms.

"Dang, he's stubborn." Peter thought.

Frederick then appeared knocking at the door carrying his laptop.

"Hey, Mr. Jameson. I got the latest article done. Could you approve it for me?" Frederick asked holding onto the door.

John then nodded to Robbie before he motioned for Peter and Ned to be dismissed. Bringing his laptop with him, John and Robbie examined the article that was written.

WILSON FISK BUYS ALL FOR QUEENS

By Frederick Foswell

 _Business decisions have been made at Fisk Corporation in which Wilson Fisk himself has announced plans to redevelop Queens. His plans come as a response to the rising amount of crime that has occurred since the arrest of Mr. Joseph Cavallaro, the Hammerhead himself._

" _We are investing millions of dollars to strengthen the neighbourhood of Queens." Iriana Darmawan, a representative of Fisk Corporation says, "By implementing tighter security control, we are reaching out to those affected by certain events and protecting those who can't afford it."_

 _As of recent, the organisation has made promises to squander what remains of the Maggia across Queens. This involves seizing assets that were owned by Hammerhead himself to ensure that any form of criminal organisation does not get the chance to rise again._

 _Another part of the plan is the encouragement of establishing charity organisations to support victims affected by loss due to criminal events. One such occasion comes at a time in which Maxwell Dillon, a former electrician blames Spider-Man for getting him involved in an accident at the Oscorp Power Plant in Ditmars Steinway to which his job was lost._

 _The Fisk Corporation has intentions to announce more of its plans publicly as it makes its first steps to righting wrongs. More updates are sure to follow._

"What kind of fluff piece is this?" John asked, "This isn't the article I told you to write."

"I made a compromise with Mr. Urich on this one. He will get you the next article piece I'm sure…" Frederick said.

"Damn it, you were supposed to write about 'Electro'." John said back, "I thought Mr. Fisk's reporting's were on Urich."

"Well, I'm just saying…He might be the one getting the firing, poor guy is old. Also I believe as long as we can publish good articles of any kind. I think we should be fine. The Fisk stuff is pretty relevant, Mr. Jameson." Frederick said.

"He's right, Jonah." Robbie sighed, "As long as our journalists continue writing, there shouldn't be any qualms."

John shook his head and thought about his next decision.

"Alright, I approve…" John said, "Polish it up. Also…Put more emphasis on Spider-Man if you can."

"Sure, Jonah…" Frederick replied.

* * *

 _3:35 pm Fisk Tower…_

Wilson sat in his office chair with the latest newspaper article from Frederick in front of his laptop. After his negotiation with Max, his next steps will be on him to make the public announcements.

"This article really concerns me, sir…" James Wesley commented as he stood next to Wilson, "This could ruin the company."

"I think it's written in good spirits…" Wilson added, "I'm more concerned about Spider-Man getting in our way. Which is why I think our electrician friend will do us deeds."

"You really think you can control him, sir?" James asked.

"You know me, Wesley…" Wilson said, "Now excuse me, I have to make a phone call."

Wilson then got out his phone and dialled a number.

"I'd like to speak with prisoner 1372…" Wilson said, "Gotta tell him something."

Wilson waited as his line was scrambled before he picked up on the voice he wanted to hear.

"What do you want? You son of a bitch." The voice asked.

"Mr. Cavallaro…Thank you for picking up. I just want to say you lived at a nice place once." Wilson said, "But since you are not in legal bounds, you don't mind if I…Buy the place. The money will be for you."

"You stay away from my property…If you touch my…" Hammerhead's voice replied before Wilson cut the line off.

"Wesley, make the arrangements. We have ourselves a nice place to stay at." Wilson ordered.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: Well I guess this chapter ended up being long anyway. Hope some of you had a good Valentine's Day out there. Also this is the first time I believe in which the time is out of order for a chapter. Until next time.**


	6. Train to the Next Showdown

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 6)

 **Note: I don't want to sound too desperate. But I'm going to start needing reviews for the story to know how I'm going.**

 _5:45 pm New York Subway Train…_

The day at the Daily Bugle may have settled Peter's job problems but his troubles are only beginning. How was he going to deal with a boss like John Jonah Jameson whose money runs on his disdain for his superhero persona? And what about his supervisor, Betty Brant who Ned is in love with but is actually interested in Peter himself?

"I really hope I can hold onto this job." Peter thought.

Peter sat quietly next to a bunch of strangers; one of which is a mother with her baby and another being a man reading a New York Bulletin newspaper. The baby was asleep which was a relief to Peter.

Peter's luck changed when the number of people boarding started to occupy the amount of space on the train. It was hell and it could not be further from the truth when the baby next to him started to cry out loud leaving Peter to cringe.

Despite the mother's efforts, Peter had to sit through a rough ride back to Forest Hills. The ride was suddenly cut off however when the power went down. The train came to a halt which also meant the lights have been turned off as well. There were mumbles and crumbles amongst crowds when this happened urging Peter to change out of his outfit.

Putting on the mask before jumping and sticking to the ceiling, Peter carefully made his way to the train ceiling opening and exited the transport. He was then given the freedom to change into his full suit while shoving his regular clothes into his backpack to which he stuck onto the subway wall ceiling with his webbing.

"Don't worry, mister bag. I'll come back for you once I fix this problem." Peter said before rushing off as Spider-Man to investigate the source of the train power damper.

"Gotta track the nearby power box." Spider-Man noted as he used his newly developed sonar vision to pinpoint the wires. Following the wires close by, Spider-Man carefully made his way down the tunnel and navigated it to find where the power box is.

Soon enough, the power box was toasted which explains why the subway could not go. Spider-Man turned off the sonar vision and examined how old the damage to the power box is so far.

"Pretty new… And somehow this is feeling familiar." Spider-Man commented before his Spidey-sense alerted to him to a nearby danger.

A bolt of electricity shot in Spider-Man's direction which was avoided easily as he jumped away.

"Look who's crawled here." A familiar voice called out.

"Oh no…It's Pikachu…" Spider-Man groaned as Electro walked out of from the shadows.

Electro looked pretty much the same as before when Spider-Man met him at the Forest Hills Community Bank Branch. Except this time, there seems to be some sort of power harness he is wearing over his green jacket.

"Alright, Sparky…Who let you out?" Spider-Man asked as he positioned himself.

"Oh, just some fat businessman with a lot of money to spare." Electro commented, "Gave me this sweet harness, now I don't have to replenish myself all the time. I can just recycle and cycle. And I can take more juice if I want."

"Hey Max, listen to me. I know you're not happy with me and I get how this happened to you. But please…" Spider-Man said before Electro threw a bolt of electricity at him to which Spider-Man dodged again.

"Oh, blah, blah…Trying to help people. Is that what you say every time you go to bed?" Electro stubbornly said.

"So you just want to kill me?" Spider-Man asked to which Electro responded with glee on his face and did the same routine as before by shooting electricity out from his fingers.

"You know, I'm considering a 'hero' crusade after you're dead." Electro said before torpedoing himself at Spider-Man.

Even despite Spider-Man's senses, Electro managed to catch Spider-Man off guard and made Spider-Man fly across for a brief moment before he crashed through the wall. The two then ended up on another set of train tracks.

"Have you been playing _Mortal Kombat_?" Spider-Man asked as he tried standing up, "One of the characters had a move just like that."

"Oh, I sure have. The next thing I'm going to do is make your head pop off." Electro said before attempting to grab onto Spider-Man's head.

Spider-Man dodged before kicking Electro on the face to which he was shocked in return. Electro picked up him by the leg and held him upside down in mid-air. Just as this happened, Spider-Man shot out a web onto Electro's face causing him to drop him.

Landing on the track, Spider-Man hit the ground. Suddenly the sound of an incoming train was heard which prompted Spider-Man to get up quickly. Electro was still trying to rid the web off his face with the train moving closer to him.

In a flash moment, Spider-Man pushed Electro away from the tracks saving him from being rammed. The train roared past on high speed as the two stayed off the tracks for as long as possible. Electro tore off the webbing before punching Spider-Man to the other side.

"What the hell, Max? You really punch someone after they save you?" Spider-Man asked as he rubbed his jawline.

"A shame I didn't punch you onto that train." Electro said before his body parts started glowing a bright yellow colour.

"Wow, so many death threats in a few seconds." Spider-Man said.

Electro rushed towards him and tried to electrify him while Spider-Man continued dodging.

"I gotta destroy that harness on him." Spider-Man thought eyeing the device with six glowing lights strapped on him.

Spider-Man then decided to try make Electro chase him in hopes that he could think of something up all the while Electro was trying to fry him. As this happened, the two of them ended up onto a random station. The passengers who were awaiting for their train saw their arrival and began running away with a few wanting to film their fight through phone.

Electro noticed the people filming and sent a bolt of electricity onto their phones causing them to explode. Spider-Man then motioned for the remaining people to run away.

"Max, stop this now!" Spider-Man said as he turned to him.

"What's more important to you? Stopping me or saving people?" Electro taunted as he closed in.

Spider-Man wished that there was a source of water nearby in which he could use to bring him down again. Luckily, there was a drinking tap in sight to which he tried reaching only for Electro to destroy it.

"I'm sorry, you thirsty?" Electro asked.

"Yeah, do you mind if I take a bottle of Sprite out then?" Spider-Man asked eyeing the vending machine next.

"Idiot, that's not going to help quench your thirst!" Electro laughed while smiling to himself.

As Electro was distracted by his own pride, Spider-Man took the time to break the glass off from the nearby vending machine with his fist and pull out a soft drink can. He then threw the can at Electro which broke open upon contact with his body.

The contents from the can splashed onto him and Electro reacted strongly in pain. Spider-Man continued the same routine which caused Electro to back away. His powers had been temporarily dampened as body began to emit smoke.

"Ugh, it's ruining my suit!" Electro said as he realised the lights on his harness are blinking rapidly.

Soon enough, Electro found a way to escape and spotted a random subway security guard attempting to break up the fight. Using a bit of electricity, Electro shot out a bolt which knocked the security guard back.

"Why don't you save this guy first?" Electro asked Spider-Man as he prompted Spider-Man to stop throwing cans at him.

Spider-Man then decided to help up the security guard while Electro made his escape using the subway escalator.

"Don't worry, I'm fine…" The security guard said as Spider-Man held him up, "How about stopping the other guy first?"

"Are you sure? You just got hit by how many volts?" Spider-Man asked before the guard passed out.

Making his way out of the station, Spider-Man attempted to see where Electro went but could not pinpoint where exactly he had went.

"Crap, he escaped this time…" Spider-Man said, "And I gotta get my stuff back at the subway tunnel."

* * *

 _8:45 am Professor Warren's Lab, ESU…_

"Good morning everyone…Hope you all had fantastic sleep. My, my…Time moves fast, doesn't it?" Miller said as he led the students back to the secret underground lab he had shown off to them.

"Time doesn't just move fast, so does our research project." Miller said as he walked up to the computer mainframe and caused the metal sheets covering the glass chamber to move upwards revealing the seat in the middle.

"Today, we'll be conducting the first test trial and surprise, it's one of you people." Miller said looking at the crowd.

Gwen looked at the peers around her and was wondering who could it be that volunteered for the test trial. She then saw Anton move up from the crowd and realised he was a volunteer for the project.

"As you can see, Mr. Rodríguez has been really eager to see this experiment come to its fruition." Miller said, "He's been a good student ever since he studied here at ESU. Now he's looking to do a masters in science."

Gwen watched as her new friend took off his lab coat as well as his shirt before entering the chamber to sit on the chair in the middle. Anton was skinny looking in body structure as he strapped himself onto the chair.

The seat lowered on Miller's command on the computer mainframe and Gwen witnessed the next phase. The serum which they had been working on yesterday could be seen in six clear vials inserted into the chair arms.

Two assistants came in afterwards to help Anton with the seating from making sure the serum can be injected into him through tubes. The next thing Anton knew was a pain killer had been injected into him to ensure harm can be reduced.

"I'm sure everyone has heard the story of Steve Rogers." Miller said, "This will be kind of like that."

Once the two assistants left, Gwen and the rest of the group watched to see what happens next. The metal sheets that had covered the chamber were lowered down again. This caused Gwen some concern as she tried to understand what would be happening behind the chamber.

"Yell out when you're ready, Anton." Miller said.

"Ready, Professor." Anton called out.

Miller then started typing away on the computer mainframe and began starting the operation. There were different sounds that could be heard. There was the sound of buzzing heard as well as the sound of machinery operating. The next sound sounded like a laser while the one following it is Anton's yell out of pain.

"It's okay, he's going to be fine." Miller assured as the screams continued.

Gwen on the other hand was unsure as she heard Anton's yell. She could not believe a day like this would come so fast. Whatever is going on, either Miller knows more or that he has worked ahead with this.

The screams soon stopped and the results of the trial were near. The metal sheets lifted themselves up to show Anton looking as if he had gained muscle. The two assistants who previously helped Anton with the chair immediately walked into the chamber and helped him to his knees.

Miller approached Anton and began asking him a simple question.

"How are you feeling?" Miller asked placing a hand onto him.

Anton gave a slight nod before he recovered and put his shirt and lab coat back on. He then walked back to the crowd.

"It seems like there's been no side effects as of now which is good. I can safely conclude that Mr. Rodríguez has made it just fine." Miller said to Gwen and the student crowd.

"How are you feeling?" Gwen asked Anton.

Anton looked at Gwen after receiving the same question before he gave out an answer.

"Better than before." Anton replied wiping a bit of sweat off his forehead.

* * *

 _8:35 am Daily Bugle meeting room, 4th floor…_

Meanwhile early on, Peter came him into the meeting room joining the rest of the staff including Robbie, Betty, Ned, Frederick and J. Jonah Jameson himself.

"Parker, hurry up. We're all waiting for you." John said as he was seated with his laptop in front of him.

Peter sat down as he prepared to listen on what is going today.

"Alright folks…Do you want to hear some news?" John asked smiling.

The staff was silent but in their minds, they all had an idea on what was coming.

"Uh, Spider-Man? Ned questioned.

"That's right. I know it when you people give me that look. It's him and his new friend Electro. They're up at it again." John said, "They've disrupted New York's subway system yesterday trapping innocent civilians down underground."

Right at that moment, Peter knew that John was talking nonsense all over again.

"I guess he got bored with Shocker so he decides to settle with someone else." John said.

"Why would Spider-Man be working with someone like him? I thought he stopped him before." Peter questioned.

"Simple. When Electro started robbing that bank, Spider-Man was not there yet. In fact, he let Electro zap a bunch of employees before he came on scene to be a show stealer." John said, "And the guys who got zapped? They know Spider-Man is a fake hero."

"But that doesn't justify anything." Peter said.

"Who knows? I think he's a good schemer or…10% chance he's saving a cat from a tree." John replied.

"Mr. Jameson, why do you hate Spider-Man?" Peter asked.

"Why do I hate him? Cause he's an unknown guy dressed in a costume who goes around living out a fantasy of saving people when he in reality he's causing all sorts of danger." John said, "At the very least, let the public know who he is under that mask."

"But maybe that could cause his enemies to go after people he cares about." Peter argued.

"And what about people like Iron Man or Captain America? Everything works out fine when the truth behind them is known to the world." John said, "Now stop arguing with me."

Peter's chance to reason with John fell deaf again but at least he understood why John rags on him.

"Alright, let's get to business everyone." John said getting up from his chair, "Miss Brant, show Parker what to do next."

Everyone had different reactions after Peter's argument with John. Frederick did not care as he slinked off to his office. Robbie wished he could participate in the argument but he already knew the standards of the Daily Bugle well enough. Ned also shared similar sentiments with Robbie and being the only one who knows Peter's secret, he wished he could stick up for him.

Betty was on the opposite end of the spectrum, she admired the effort Peter took to debate with John on the issue. She simply smiled as she watched Peter leave the room and followed him.

 **End note: The Mortal Kombat reference is a reference to Raiden. I also want to mention again that I've decided certain events going forward written at different times won't exactly be chronological from now on.**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. An Arachnid is Born

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 7)

 **Note: Before I begin this chapter, I would like to inform that I'm planning to remove the Earth-616 and Beyond story I am writing which is only 2 chapters. This isn't an easy decision that I'm making considering there are people following that story. My decision comes down to me thinking that I want readjust some things regarding tackling a 'multiverse' story in the future.**

 **So rest assured, I haven't abandoned the story and its ideas but in the mean time, I want to continue with this story to build up my own world first.**

 _9:00 am_ _Fisk's new penthouse…_

It was done. The nice little estate which once belonged to the Maggia crime boss had been bought. Wilson had used his money to take away the venue belonging to Hammerhead. Not that spending his money mattered anyway, since there were ways in which the money comes back to him.

Since Hammerhead's takedown by Spider-Man, the place had been under protection from NYPD authorities up until now. Walking inside the house alone, Wilson was pleasantly surprised by the clean white painted walls as well as the nicely decorated furniture.

"A nice place indeed…" Wilson noted as he continued looking around.

A young real estate lady then came out of the kitchen dressed professionally and walked up to Wilson to shake his hand.

"Welcome, Mr. Fisk…" The lady smiled as she shook Wilson's tight palms.

"Leslie, is it?" Wilson asked, "Lovely to see you too. Please… Will you show me around this place?"

"Absolutely, follow me…" The real estate lady said before leading him.

Wilson then followed Leslie around the house being informed of where everything is. Leslie also pointed out the pool area and the outside area which Wilson saw through the glass windows.

"May I see the floor upstairs?" Wilson asked.

"Certainly…" Leslie replied before taking the request.

Going up the staircase, Wilson was eventually shown the bathroom and restroom upstairs. Eventually, Leslie showed off the bedrooms to which they came across the room which Hammerhead used to sleep in.

This was made obvious by a portrait of the crime boss hanging over the double-sized bed. The portrait was exquisitely painted and boasted the plain looking face of Hammerhead. Everything ranging from his blocky forehead to stiches on him were all there.

"As expected, the Maggia certainly have a taste for fine art…" Wilson commented.

"Yes, this actually is an expensive painting…" Leslie agreed.

"Do you mind if I take a closer look at it?" Wilson questioned.

"If you insist…" Leslie said before watching Wilson walk to the left side of the bed and grabbing the portrait with his two hands.

Balancing the large portrait on his hands, Wilson then put the painting on his kneecap before using his raw strength to snap it into two. This act surprised Leslie before Wilson tossed the halves aside like it was trash.

"You know I don't want that picture…" Wilson said looking away from the broken portrait.

"Of course…" Leslie said in fear after witnessing Wilson's strength in the process.

"It is a lovely place nevertheless." Wilson remarked.

Suddenly, the two heard a loud crash coming from the balcony area. Rushing towards the place, Wilson and Leslie saw Electro standing between a broken glass baluster looking frustrated as sparks of electricity flew across him. Looking at Leslie, Wilson made a quick order for her.

"Go…I'll deal with this." Wilson said, "GO NOW!"

The large bellow in Wilson's voice was enough to make the real estate lady run off in fear as Wilson came face to face with Electro.

"Your right-hand man told me you were here…At the house of an old crime lord." Electro said as the sounds of broken glass crunched underneath.

"Why are you here?" Wilson demanded.

"What? I came here to say…I had another tussle with Spider-Man." Electro said, "Isn't that what you promised me?"

"Your lack of discretion puts jeopardy into my plans." Wilson said, "What's the progress been so far?"

"Well…At least I wasn't captured." Electro said, "The harness however? I got a problem with it."

"You'll have to take that up with the scientists under my employ." Wilson said.

"Oh yeah? Did you realise this piece of equipment can be ruined by a splash of soft drink?" Electro questioned before throwing the harness off him.

Wilson stared blankly at Electro and had nothing to say. All he could think of was that his moment of peace with the house had been disturbed.

"What's the matter? Did you bite your own tongue?" Electro asked before sending a wave of electricity onto him.

To Electro's surprise, the jolts of electricity barely did much as Wilson took it in. There was a noticeable burning smell coming from his clothes to which Wilson was not happy with. In response, Wilson violently grabbed Electro by the shoulders and body slammed him onto the ground which was repeated multiple times.

"You will be wise to owe your loyalty, Mr. Dillion." Wilson said after finishing his last slam which left Electro dazed.

Electro got up shaking as he tried to process how a man like Wilson overcame his electrical powers. He now understood why Wilson bothered releasing him.

"From now on, you are only to visit me when I arrange it." Wilson ordered, "And heed my orders when I demand it."

Disgruntled, Electro nodded his head out of respect.

"So…What are my orders then?" Electro asked seriously.

"Pick your gear up and go. You'll stand down for now. I'll deal with the Spider personally." Wilson said.

"Really, huh? What are you-" Electro tried to ask before being cut off.

"You've had your chance with him, now it's mine." Wilson warned before staring at Electro to go.

"Okay, Big Man… I guess I'll chill out." Electro said before putting the harness back on him and blasting off into the air using his electrical powers.

Wilson then grabbed out his phone from his pocket which he found had been decreased to 3% battery power thanks to the presence of Electro. Nevertheless Wilson made his call.

"Yes, sir?" James Wesley asked picking up the phone.

"Next time inform me if someone wants to visit me." Wilson said.

"Apologies.. It won't happen again. He just happened to impulsively go looking for you after I told him where you were." James replied.

"I can't blame you on that one, Wesley. He is one of a kind after all." Wilson said, "Do me a favour. I want you to arrange something special for tonight. Also, I need someone to deal with the real estate lady I met today. I'll talk to you later, my phone's dying."

"Of course, sir…That would be arranged." James informed before switching off.

As the power in Wilson's phone died down, he began anticipating on how he would approach Spider-Man.

* * *

 _9:12 am Betty Brant's office; Daily Bugle Building, 1_ _st_ _floor…_

The second day Peter was working for John became more clear. Because of Peter's skills in mathematics, he was entrusted with the job of managing the newspaper company's finance under the guidance of Betty Brant.

"At least something from high school paid off." Peter said as he was looking through the papers on his desk.

"At least I get to do something today that doesn't involve sitting in front of the desk all day." Betty laughed sitting at her office chair.

"So, um…Miss Brant. How did you land a job here?" Peter asked.

"Me? Well… I moved from New Jersey to New York. I studied journalism at Princeton and but I couldn't really find a proper job there afterwards." Betty explained, "It wasn't until I had financial help from my brother who studied business and law himself."

"Cool. So was meeting J. Jonah Jameson like a dream come true?" Peter asked.

"It was. But remember to not worship your idols too much." Betty replied, "Sure, like many people.. We're turned off by his loudmouth but he's genuinely trying his best to publish the best stories."

"Yeah, like those times he just calls out Spider-Man." Peter said.

"That was pretty brave of you, Peter." Betty complimented as she was looking through an article draft on her computer screen, "But please…Don't butt heads with Jonah next time."

"Don't a lot of people anyway?" Peter questioned.

"Just be professional, that's what I'd advise." Betty answered, "Hey, I want to say.. Sorry for flirting with you the first time we…"

"No, it's fine." Peter assured, "I just wanted to let you know a couple of things after that."

"I understand. I guess we're just going to have to be friends at this stage… You know, I'm just not sure with Ned." Betty said, "I don't hate him but…"

"You should really spend some time with him. He's got a lot of hidden layers to him, trust me." Peter said.

"Hmm…I'll consider it. By the way, I think we're losing sight of our work. Is it okay if we go back to focusing on it?" Betty asked.

"I couldn't agree more." Peter said turning his attention away.

As Peter and Betty turned away, Peter began thinking of last night with Electro. The second scuffle left him some concern at the fact that he is still at large. He also remembered that he mentioned a 'fat businessman' to him meaning someone had let him out.

"I have to keep George up to date with my activities." Peter thought as he focused on the Excel spreadsheet in front of him.

* * *

 _9:23 am Coffee Bean…_

While Peter was working away, Gwen was spending time with her new friends at the local Coffee Bean café. She joined a friend group along with Anton in which the subject was on the experimentation done on Anton early in the morning.

"So you're basically physically stronger?" A male student asked Anton.

"That's part of it." Anton replied, "I also have a lot of other things like better eye vision; better ear hearing. I'm healthy."

Anton demonstrated a dose of his strength by lifting the table underneath with one hand which was causing the coffee mugs; food dishes and other things to move. Other students as well as the café employees stared at the brief display of strength.

"Hey, take it easy…" The male student said before Anton put the table down.

"Sorry, but that's exactly one of the benefits I got." Anton said.

"Wow. You wanna test that at the gym?" Gwen asked.

"Maybe." Anton smiled, "I think the health benefits I got are more important though."

"I gotta wonder what Warren did to make you the way you are now." A female student with them said.

"I had to consult with him…" Anton said before lifting a heavy mug of espresso to his mouth.

Just as he was about to take a sip, Anton accidently let some of his drink spill onto his shirt causing him to put his drink down and focus on the stain.

"Argh… Oh geez. Um…You know what? I'm going to the bathroom for now." Anton said, "I'll be back, amigos."

Gwen and the others watched as Anton got up from his chair and hurried to the males bathroom.

"He can't expect to get a coffee stain like that off. He's going to have to go to a coin laundry" Gwen stated.

"Yeah, well maybe with his new super strength. He can wipe that stain away with his bare hands." The male student joked.

* * *

 _Coffee Bean male bathroom…_

Anton walked up to a bathroom sink and stared at the mirror. Turning on the cold water handle, he tried splashing some water on the shirt and used his handkerchief to try rub it off as best as he could.

"Great…Mamá is going to be so upset with me." Anton said to himself, "Guess I'll have to find some washing powder at the end of the day."

Turning off the water, Anton then noticed something strange in the mirror. What appeared to be tiny strands of hair were seen around the cheek area.

"Wow.. Am I growing a beard?" Anton thought staring at the tiny strands of hair on him before touching them with the tip of his fingers.

The hairs felt strangely stiff and Anton recoiled in pain a little when he pricked himself.

"Ow…" Anton said, "What the hell?"

The tip of his fingers soon swelled a little.

"That was irritating. Maybe I need to shave when it grows." Anton thought.

The next thing Anton did was wash his face to which he noticed something weird upon seeing his teeth. Showing them off again in front of the mirror, he began to notice something with his canine teeth in particular. They were sharp but they also looked curved. Almost as if they were like fangs.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. Double the Pay

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 8)

 **Note: Since the last chapter, the story has reached 1000+ views. Thank you all. Also I apologize if there are big gaps between chapters from now on since my life is busy.**

 _5:29 pm J. Jonah Jameson's office, Daily Bugle Building…_

"Parker, I gotta say I'm proud of you." John said looking at the email he received from Betty.

"Really?" Peter asked with slight optimism.

"You figured out the numbers exactly like I hoped you would." John replied before chuckling.

"Well, I had help from Betty as well to be fair…" Peter replied.

"Then she did a good job supervising you, Parker." John said, "Today's amount of pay will be double the amount."

"Oh…" Peter said surprised yet happy.

"You got a significant other, Parker? If so…That's the amount of money you'd spend for a fancy evening at a nice Italian restaurant to take them out. Now go downstairs and let Miss Brant handle things. I gotta chase up on Foswell and Leeds next." John said.

Peter nodded before leaving John's office.

* * *

 _Daily Bugle Building, 1_ _st_ _floor…_

As Peter exited the elevator, he approached the reception desk where Betty was situated and prepared and walked up to process the payment into his bank account. Betty grabbed the cheque paper out of Peter's hand and started processing it.

"$325? You must have impressed Jameson a lot today." Betty said.

"Yeah, well… I had help from you." Peter said.

"Are you exhausted now?" Betty asked.

"Ah, yeah… Thanks for asking. It is a big day for me to be looking through numbers and stuff." Peter acknowledged.

"Well, you can always rest easy when you figured out Jameson's tax bills." Betty said, "So what are your plans after this?"

"I guess I'm gonna head home. See my aunt. And…uh… Maybe check on my friends and my girlfriend." Peter stated, "Oh tell Ned I said 'hi'."

"Okay then…" Betty said, "Well it looks like the money is in your account now."

"Oh thanks, Betty. I'll see you tomorrow." Peter said walking away before waving at Betty which was reciprocated.

* * *

 _6:55 pm Stacy residence…_

Peter's time as Spider-Man was cut short the day he starting working with John. At the time of Spider-Man's absence, he worried that the amount of crime in New York City had risen. His big concern right now was that Electro is still wondering around and people would be in easy trouble.

Furthermore, he had to catch up with George on updates which he could not share due to keeping his identity private from him as much as possible. Despite the trust they built as a crime fighting unit, Peter's reasoning had to do with needing George to maintain his job while also protecting Gwen from any involvement regarding his vigilante activities.

Peter made his way to Gwen's house dressed as Spider-Man to meet George since his private investigator business is now closed at the time. Climbing around the house, Peter checked the windows to see if anyone's in the house. Peeping into one window, he spotted Gwen's little brother, Simon playing a game on a tablet while sitting on his bed.

"Just the little brother?" Spider-Man thought as he wondered if there was an adult in the house.

Spider-Man pulled himself away to avoid Simon's attention before deciding if he wants to let him know that he is there.

"He might freak out…But I have to know if George is home." Spider-Man said as he then tapped on the glass window.

Poking his head up, Simon's eyes lit up when he saw Spider-Man in his view. Dropping his tablet, he walked up to the window.

"Spider-Man?" Simon asked.

"It's me alright. Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man." Spider-Man said, "Hey kid, is your name Simon Stacy?"

"Yeah…" Simon said with enthusiasm, "You know my dad, right?"

"I sure do… Is there a chance he's in the house?" Spider-Man asked.

"Uh, sure… He was just downstairs making dinner." Simon said, "I'll go get him."

As Simon rushed off in excitement, George came into the room moments later to greet Spider-Man with his sleeves rolled up. His expression came

"Move over, I'm opening the window." George stated as he reached for the window handles.

Spider-Man moved away a small step as George opened the windows so that he could talk to him clearly.

"Hey George, I need to update you on some stuff." Spider-Man said.

"Couldn't have done it earlier? What happened to morning routines?" George asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you see… I have an actual job now outside of Spider-Man." Spider-Man said.

"Ah, so you're not just someone dressed in a costume all day long…" George said, "Nice to know."

"Listen, about the last incident with Max…" Spider-Man said referring to the subway fight with Electro.

"Yeah, you delayed the subway. My wife who's still at work complained to me about that." George stated.

"Well you see…Max isn't a reasonable guy." Spider-Man said, "Any time he sees me, his killer instincts spark up."

"You sure you tried reasoning with him?" George asked.

"I mean…" Spider-Man started before George cut him off.

"Just so you know…Sadly, not everyone is appreciative of your work lately." George said.

"Oh, I know. Can't please everyone. The Daily Bugle of course… Trashes me numerously." Spider-Man stated.

"It's more than a J. Jonah Jameson shit talk." George said, "Things are going to change around here."

"What things?" Spider-Man asked.

"Heard the latest news lately?" George asked before taking out his phone to show a text message.

"Wilson Fisk, huh?" Spider-Man said peering down on the words on George's phone.

"Not just news reports… But anyone who's working or worked for the NYPD or at least around Queens have gotten an anonymous text that has been indicating a change in legal enforcement by him." George said, "The Fisk Corporation as of late is starting to do redevelopment business around this area."

"Am I being outlawed by a guy who looks like Humpty Dumpty?" Spider-Man asked referring to Wilson's public appearance as a bald man.

"Maybe. I'm unclear on what business this guy is up to." George said, "New buildings; new jobs. I mean it sounds nice and all…But I think he's reaping what you sow. I'm sceptical…The guy may be rich and powerful, but he has a lot of dark baggage behind him."

Suddenly something clicked into Spider-Man's mind as he remembered Electro told him about a fat businessman employing him.

"Hm…Maybe that's the next clue." Spider-Man said.

"Sorry?" George asked.

"I got word from Max the other time I fought him that he was released by a fat businessman." Spider-Man said.

"You think Maxwell Dillion was released by Fisk?" George questioned, "I mean… Fisk is shady. But why would he… Unless."

"He has some things to clear up then." Spider-Man said, "I'm going to need to find him."

"The most obvious place would be Fisk Tower in Manhattan. But… I heard that he's bought a house around here recently." George said, "It's at a familiar address."

"A familiar address?" Spider-Man questioned.

"Remember the place Hammerhead used to live in? He's bought the nice fancy house that once belonged to him and is living his life there." George informed.

"Ah…That place." Spider-Man said, "Man, I remember."

Just as Spider-Man was about to go, George stopped him with more words.

"Hey Spider-Man. Can I ask you a question?" George asked.

"What is it?" Spider-Man replied.

"Don't you think we should put more trust in our partnership?" George asked, "I mean…I don't know who you are really. But I was wondering if there's an easy way for us to communicate next time."

Spider-Man paused for a moment before he could give an answer.

"The thing is…If I tell you who I really am. It could lead to the worst things possible." Spider-Man said.

"What things?" George asked, "Tell me. You can trust me, right?"

"I'm afraid I have to come up to you every time we talk or respond to the communicator." Spider-Man said shy from the idea of opening up, "You'll have to excuse me until I come up with something."

Spider-Man then leapt of the house wall and swung away. As this happened, Simon had watched behind his father's back the whole time.

"Dad?" Simon asked, "You didn't sound too happy."

"It's nothing…" George said as he closed the window, "Didn't I tell you to watch the soup boil?"

As Spider-Man swung down the street to find Wilson Fisk, he then noticed someone walking on the street lane as he zoomed past. He briefly turned around to see Gwen walking by herself back to her home.

"So glad to know she wasn't at home at that time." Peter thought beneath the mask as he continued swinging.

Meanwhile, as Gwen walked she also noticed Spider-Man swing past and looked back at his direction for a brief moment before turning away and walking.

"He's always around the neighbourhood." Gwen said as she continued down the street.

* * *

 _7:34 pm Fisk penthouse, Queens…_

"I have this under control, Mr. Fisk." Big Man stated beneath his mask, "I promise you… The boy won't be any trouble."

Wilson walked around in the living room anxious before he talked.

"Trust me and take the advice, Foswell… You'd want to dispose off a potential snitch." Wilson said.

"God, I hate this outfit…" Big Man said removing the mask and bowler hat off him to reveal that he is Frederick Foswell underneath.

"Your photographer knows who this Spider-Man is, am I correct?" Wilson asked.

"I don't know… Mr. Jameson wants photos of him back at the Bugle and the kid's the one who's tasked with this unlikely job." Frederick answered, "I don't know…But some of those photos were pretty good shots."

"Then perhaps he's good to keep around for intel." Wilson said.

"Good idea…" Frederick said.

"Um…Hello? Does anyone still live here?" Spider-Man's voice called out from the floor above.

Wilson and Frederick stood still before they decided to take action.

"Cover me…" Wilson ordered as Frederick put on back his Big Man attire.

Walking upstairs slowly, Wilson's heavy footsteps made quite a bit of sound while Big Man followed from behind with a handgun on one gloved hand. Together the two made their way to the balcony where they found Spider-Man walking around.

"Speak of the devil…" Big Man commented and loaded a bullet in his weapon.

"Stand your ground…" Wilson whispered, "Let me handle this."

Spider-Man then found himself facing Wilson Fisk and his enforcer as they opened the balcony slide door and came towards him.

"Holy god…You really are Wilson Fisk." Spider-Man commented, "My god, look at you."

"I'm glad you took notice of my body size…" Wilson replied, "However contrary to popular belief, my body is actually 98% muscle and only 2% fat… What a pleasant surprise to find you on my rooftop."

"Yeah…It's amazing really. To meet you in person versus needing to talk with you over a couple of things." Spider-Man said, "I'm flattered you know who I am. Say, you interested in Queens. I hear?"

Wilson then extended out a large hand of his.

"Do you do formal gestures?" Wilson asked.

Spider-Man looked at the hand before eventually agreeing to shake it. As Wilson's hand clutched and covered his hand, Spider-Man felt the power Wilson has in him.

"Strong grip you got there…" Spider-Man said shaking his hand off after having it squeezed.

"Let's get to know each other better…" Wilson said, "Why do you protect your neighbourhood? What drives you to do the things you can do?"

"Uh…It's a responsibility. Last time, a guy from Russia and a guy with a huge forehead were having a huge gang war in this neighbourhood and I stopped it." Spider-Man said being careful with his words.

"Indeed that is the case…I'm here to clean up what remains of their mess." Wilson replied.

"Elaborate…" Spider-Man said crossing his arms.

"Namely keeping crime in your neighbourhood low. Helping others through humanitarian services and re-establishing property to former glory." Wilson explained.

"Oooh, I like humanitarian services." Spider-Man said before checking Big Man out, "Say, um…Who's the guy wearing the outfit behind you? Looks like an old 1950-60s mobster."

"My bodyguard…" Wilson swiftly answered, "He's a special kind of man on the market."

"That's some strange taste…" Spider-Man replied, "Say…Have you heard of the news that a guy who shoots electricity is out on the loose? Rumour has it some 'fat businessman' released him."

Wilson squinted his eyes to pretend that this is a first for him before giving out a straight answer.

"I am aware. He's on my list as much as you are." Wilson replied.

"What list?" Spider-Man asked with curiosity.

"The list of people who may interfere with the good work I am doing…" Wilson replied again.

"Oh, shoot… Um, I guess that depends on the 'good' work you are doing." Spider-Man said with a hint of suspicion.

"In the coming days, my work will start. And now since you're here… It is time we make a deal." Wilson said.

"A deal? Not the first one I had here." Spider-Man said referring to the time he had with Hammerhead back at this place when they made a compromise to deal with Chameleon.

"I want you to refrain your vigilantism as much as possible. That means you let me handle the crime fighting while I rebuild your neighbourhood." Wilson said.

"Spend less time being Spider-Man? That might be a possibility but I gotta keep my eye on this place." Spider-Man replied, "Speaking of crime fighting? Do you have a secret superhero identity too like Tony Stark? What's it called? Marshmallow Man?"

"Your childish humour is already a downside to this discussion." Wilson remarked, "And I for one…Can't wait to teach you manners."

"Hey, take it easy…" Spider-Man said moving himself back, "So as long as I don't get in your way, you won't as well?"

"That's the idea…" Wilson said, "This is a huge step in business for me."

"Gotcha… Uh, I don't think I have anything left to say." Spider-Man said before his phone started ringing near his utility belt, "Nice talking to you…"

Spider-Man jumped away so that he could pick up his phone. Wilson and Big Man watched as he swung away.

"Fascinating…" Big Man said observing the web-slinging, "What do you think right now, Mr. Fisk?"

"We'll be prepared for him…" Wilson said, "Right now is all a matter of discretion."

* * *

 _Someone's rooftop…_

"Hi Gwen." Peter said into the phone once he got far from Wilson Fisk's new penthouse and peeled his mask back a little.

"Hey Peter, how was your day?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, it's been pretty good…" Peter said, "A lot of good work from the Bugle."

"That's nice to hear…" Gwen stated, "At least you're coping well financially now."

"Yeah, figured that Aunt May alone won't be enough." Peter agreed, "And she's happy with the job I got."

"Strange day for me… I had a friend of mine be injected by a serum that Professor Warren made as part of my internship." Gwen said, "He didn't show up to class after that. Aside from that, it's been a great day getting to know all my new friends."

"Well good to hear from your end." Peter said.

"You know…I have a feeling we don't get to see eye to eye that often anymore." Gwen said, "Think we can fix it?"

"I get what you're saying… What are you thinking?" Peter questioned.

"Maybe catch up at some place to eat." Gwen said, "I'm thinking of dinner since I guess it's the best time for the two of us."

"A dinner? Oh, okay then… I'll pay the money for it, if you don't mind." Peter said being reminded of the payment he received today.

"You'll book the place? I guess I'll see you soon there. Let me know as soon as possible where it is." Gwen said, "Love you…"

"Love you too…" Peter said before the phone switched off.

As Peter sat on the rooftop, he thought about the next few days.

"Dinner with my GF and potential things to look forward to with Wilson Fisk. That's a double life right there." Peter thought.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. Where is Ned Leeds?

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 9)

 _9:03 am J. Jonah Jameson's office, Daily Bugle Building…_

"I've got the latest scoop on Fisk's plans for Queens, alright?" Frederick said, "That should be enough content to write about for maybe three or four weeks."

"Yeah, yeah…Do what you must, Foswell…" John said sitting on his desk feeling bored while chewing on a mint.

"I see you're unenthusiastic, Mr. Jameson…" Frederick said, "Don't worry…There's bound to be something that will catch our attention."

"I'm done with politics…" John said, "So much of the media have gone bankrupt thanks to it. We want to make news more exciting than that."

"Wilson Fisk is unlike anything else, you know." Frederick replied back.

"You know what I think of that egghead?" John answered back, "Wilson Fisk is a man whose money comes from all corners of the Earth. It's shady the way he goes about his business. But hey…At least he's not a guy running around in a super suit. That's one problem I have with people who want to help others."

"Then I guess positive coverage on him is no problem then?" Frederick asked while subtly hinting on the Daily Bugle's negativity towards Spider-Man.

"We generally don't post our thoughts on a subject. We just post the facts…" John grunted.

Afterwards, a knock was heard on the door.

"Come in…" John said.

Peter slowly opened up the door and meekly approached John's desk.

"Parker…What do you want?" John asked.

"You told me to come see you in your office? Well… At least, Betty did." Peter said.

"Oh that's right… Well, Foswell… Nice chatting up with you." John said, "Now shoo…"

Frederick turned around and looked Peter in the eye.

"Hey, Fred. Can I just ask how's Ned doing?" Peter asked considering that Frederick supervises his friend.

Frederick paused before giving Peter an answer.

"He's doing great, Peter. He's getting better with his photography skills." Frederick answered.

"Cool…Uh…I hope he's doing great." Peter said.

"Trust me, his photos will print money…" Frederick said, "I'm going to meet up with him now. Take care."

Peter watched as Frederick hastily rushed off and pondered on the idea of Ned being busy. He then turned around to face John.

"So…Mr. Jameson. Um…" Peter stammered.

"Parker, you're working with Robbie today." John instructed through his reply, "He needs help with some of the articles we're publishing for today."

"What's that got to do with me?" Peter asked.

"Consider this a new form of experience here at the Bugle. We like having people willing to learn new things. For example, Miss Brant is working hard to be an approved reporter." John said.

"She's actually doing that?" Peter added to which John nodded.

"Anyway…Why don't you look for Robbie? I've got a lot more things I need to do. Get out of here." John said.

* * *

 _7:45 am Leeds residence…_

Prior to Frederick's meeting with John, he had some special business to do under Wilson Fisk's orders. His connection to the man put on him on a different level compared to his façade as a reporter.

Stopping his car on the side lane of the street, he turned his attention to the little house where Ned Leeds lives in and waited. Inside, Ned was taking his time finishing off his breakfast and bidding farewell to his family as well as his pet cat.

"Goodbye, mum. Goodbye, Mandy." Ned said kissing his terminally ill mum on the forehead as she sat on her wheelchair and hugging his little sister.

Ned walked over to his cat and picked him up.

"Goodbye, King. Don't wonder off too far this time." Ned said before hugging King as he meowed.

Putting the cat down, Ned made his way out of the house door to see Frederick's car outside in front of him.

"Hey, kid. Hurry up!" Frederick said as Ned rushed forward to open the front seat door.

As Ned got in and buckled up his seat belt, Frederick wasted no time in leaving.

"Sorry…Ned. Your place is a little far from work." Frederick said as he sped a little.

"Actually I have ways in which I get to work just in time." Ned replied.

"You do? Tell me…Does your Spider friend come down and give you a swing?" Frederick joked.

"No…There's a subway/train line I catch at the Forest Hills station. Then I just walk the rest." Ned said, "So what's going on?"

"Ah…Well, today… Is…Work day. For me mostly." Frederick said, "I'm not going to be needing that many important photos from you."

"What?" Ned questioned.

"Don't get me wrong…You're still providing photos for me but it's going much more of a joy ride for you than for me." Frederick said.

"Joy ride?" Ned asked wondering if that's a joke to Frederick driving the car.

"We are going to meet a special group of people today. You mostly though…" Frederick said, "They're a friendly bunch."

"Is it people from the Bugle?" Ned wondered.

"Uh…No. But they're actually good friends of mine and I hope you don't mind but…They require special photos from you." Frederick said, "You'll see when we meet them."

"Oh goodie…Um, hope you're not too stressed with work." Ned said.

"What can I do about it?" Frederick said, "Thanks for your concerns, by the way."

* * *

 _9:12 am Robbie Robertson's office, Daily Bugle Building…_

Robbie's office was a lot more tidy when compared to John's despite having loads of work like him. However unlike John, Robbie does not let the stress of work get to him and maintained a sense of optimism in his professionalism.

Peter entered the office and was greeted by the nice looking place. Robbie turned around and smiled at Peter.

"Ah, Peter. Just the man I wanted to see." Robbie said.

"Uh…Hi… Mr. Robertson." Peter greeted as he shook Robbie's hand since it was the first time he formally interacted with him.

"Call me 'Robbie'." Robbie replied.

"So…You need help right?" Peter asked looking around the place, "Your place looks pretty well organised."

"Well, I did read this book by some Japanese author and there was some pretty insightful advice in organising things." Robbie said, "Anyway, that's not why I need you here. I called you to see if you could look through today's articles."

"Isn't that your job?" Peter wondered.

"Yes… But your job is help look through some statistics. I want to know if you could help sort out what our readers are interested in. Jonah's looking for ways to make the Bugle as profitable as possible." Robbie said, "Do you have your laptop?"

"Oh, yes I do…" Peter said grabbing it out of his bag.

"Good. I'm going to send through an email of stuff that I want you to look through under my guidance." Robbie said.

As Peter booted up his laptop and grabbed a nearby chair to sit down on, he waited for Robbie to give out some instructions.

"How are you finding the Bugle so far?" Robbie asked.

"Oh… I actually like it. It seems like a nice place so far." Peter replied.

"Glad you do… Has Jonah been treating you fine as well so far?" Robbie asked.

"Uh…I can deal with him. No sweat…" Peter said as he logged onto his laptop.

"Glad to hear that as well… If you find your level with him, he won't break you down." Robbie assured.

"Thanks, Robbie. I noticed you and Mr. Jameson are like close friends." Peter added.

"We're more like professional colleagues. But I agree…We actually have a friendship." Robbie said.

"Wow…" Peter replied, "I guess years of work must have paid off."

"It did indeed…" Robbie said clicking his mouse in front of his own computer.

As Peter entered into his emails on his computer screen, Robbie decided to ask Peter another question.

"You're not studying tertiary education in any shape or form right now, are you?" Robbie asked.

"Yeah…I'm not studying at the moment, unfortunately." Peter said, "I tried though."

"What were you planning to study?" Robbie asked again.

"Oh…Uh… Science at Empire State. Like mechanical engineering since I'm into physics." Peter said.

"Interesting… My son's at Empire State right now. But I'm not sure if he's going to graduate." Robbie said, "He's going through a lot."

"Your son? What's he studying?" Peter wondered almost forgetting about the work Robbie assigned him on.

"He's going for a diploma of social works. Not what I hoped for out of him…" Robbie said with a sigh.

"Social works doesn't sound too bad. I mean…Helping others can be a great thing, it's what we all do every day." Peter said.

"There's more than that… I hope I don't distress you with the information I have about it." Robbie said.

"Uh…I guess it's your choice if you want to share it. Besides, I think I can handle it." Peter said.

Robbie let out a sigh before he started.

"I failed as a father…" Robbie said not even focusing on his computer screen anymore, "I failed my wife twice already."

Peter said nothing as he waited for Robbie to say more.

"My firstborn never came to be and passed away before the age of one. Then my current son, Randy… He grew up with a huge adventurous spirit, something which I took from him. I…Made him resent me for the rest of my life." Robbie continued.

Again, Peter said nothing but was feeling some form of sympathy for Robbie as it looked like he was about to tear up. Robbie took a nearby tissue and blew his nose.

"I'm sorry, Peter…" Robbie said talking to him, "I got carried away."

As Peter opened up the email from Robbie and opened up a column graph on his screen, he could not help but wonder why Robbie shared this personal information with him.

"I honestly don't know what to make of your story, Robbie." Peter said, "It's all sudden."

Robbie stopped with his sadness before he switched back to a smile.

"I feel like you have a bright future ahead of you, Peter. Now that I know a bit about you…" Robbie said, "Everything in life okay so far?"

"Yeah…" Peter agreed, "I got the graphs in front of me by the way."

"Alright then." Robbie chuckled before turning his attention onto the computer screen, "We should really start working."

* * *

 _5:53 pm Romeo's…_

Peter waited around the entrance of the restaurant which he had booked to meet up with Gwen. It was quite chilly waiting outside but it didn't stop Peter who was wearing his nice casual clothes. Today was not just the day, he did not need to be Spider-Man but he also managed to get along with Robbie back at the Bugle.

"Everything okay, signore?" A waiter asked opening the door.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just waiting for someone. She should be here soon." Peter said before the waiter nodded and closed the doors.

As Peter checked his watch, he soon heard a familiar voice near him to which he turned around and smiled.

"Peter…" Gwen said smiling.

"Just in time…" Peter said before he and Gwen went inside to the warm conditions of the restaurant.

The two of them made their way to their designated table to sit down. Gwen then laughed.

"What?" Peter wondered before noticing Gwen staring at the candles.

"Fancy having candles here…" Gwen said.

"Oh yeah…Um, not my intention." Peter said as he sat down.

"Was the name 'Romeo' intentional?" Gwen teased.

"I… Just booked everything based on quality." Peter said.

"You know I wouldn't mind a regular pizzeria. But since we're here…Hope it can be worth it." Gwen said back.

"Well, I say this is worth it since we might see eye to eye that often." Peter said as he watched the waiter place down a basket of garlic bread onto the table, "So how's your day?"

"Good…As in… Standard stuff, really." Gwen stated.

"How's learning with Professor Warren?" Peter questioned.

"He didn't show up today… And neither did Anton, the student who was tested on. He was absent two days now." Gwen said, "I'm guessing Warren is checking on him."

"Makes sense…It is his project." Peter noted, "Who was there to teach you?"

"Wanna guess?" Gwen asked making it seem like it was someone special.

"Dr. Reed Richards? Bruce Banner? Uh…Is this a trick question? Cause it sounds like someone working at ES but isn't anyone famous." Peter replied trying to interpret Gwen's smile.

"J. Jonah's wife…" Gwen stated.

"What?" Peter replied before realising there was truth behind it. J. Jonah Jameson's wife was a biologist at Empire State University.

"Of course…" Peter laughed, "What a coincidence also… Is she as loud-mouthed as her husband?"

"Quite the opposite. She's really friendly and a really sweet person." Gwen said.

"Seriously, how did Jameson get to that stage?" Peter wondered confused.

"What's new with you?" Gwen asked.

"Me? Not much… I worked with one of the editors at the Bugle today." Peter said, "It was about marketing strategies on what kind of articles the Bugle wants to print."

"And what do they want to print?" Gwen asked again.

"Spider-Man talk. Anything that's out of the ordinary mostly." Peter said with a sigh.

"How is Spider-Man out of the ordinary? I saw him yesterday swinging right by near my house." Gwen said, "I think J. Jonah needs to adjust himself."

"He puts on deaf ears, you know?" Peter said shaking his head before noticing the waiter deliver two plates of food on the table.

"Oh god…That's um…A huge bowl of spaghetti." Gwen said looking at her food.

"It should taste nice." Peter said as he chewed into his risotto.

Gwen poked her food and decided to make comment on it.

"Feels a little dry, Peter." Gwen said shaking her head while poking the food with her fork.

"If you're not hungry, it's fine by me." Peter said before thinking that he wasted money.

"Relax…I'm going to dig in." Gwen said before she ate.

As the two ate, Peter then got a buzzing message on his phone from Ned which read 'Help'. Dropping his fork, Peter looked at his phone before typing back a message of 'What's wrong?'. There was no further reply which prompted Peter to stand up.

"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.

"Sorry, Gwen… It's Ned." Peter said picking up his jacket.

"Your friend? What?" Gwen asked puzzled by Peter's sudden need to leave.

"I hate doing this but I promise…I'll be back." Peter said before leaving, "Have a nice night, Gwen."

"What about your food? What about… Me?" Gwen asked, "Peter, what the hell?!"

Peter ran off which left Gwen in an awkward state of being alone.

"Hey, don't feel too bad if a guy leaves you on a date like this." A random man said seated with his own girlfriend at a table.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. The Enforcers

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 10)

 **Note: Sorry for taking long in uploading the next chapter. My daily life is really busy that I have little time to make the next chapter. Anyway, I'm glad to be back. It's been quite some time writing but hopefully I can keep up with where I left off.**

 _8:24 am Texas Border, Queens…_

Early on, Frederick parked his car at the parking spot of a local diner. Getting out of his car, he opened the door for Ned who looked at the diner named 'Texas Border' in fascination.

"Oh, cool but… I already had breakfast." Ned said, "This place looks neat. Might be cool to try Southern food or Mexican for that matter."

"I'm not treating you for food, kid. We're here to see people, remember?" Frederick reminded, "Though you're welcome to grab a coffee here."

"Makes sense…" Ned answered before following Frederick to the diner door.

Inside, the place felt like it had the size of a travel caravan with the food being served in trays behind the glass display. There was one chef; one cashier and one waitress doing the work around the place.

With regards to costumers, there were three men seated around a square table in the corner. One man with slicked up black hair looked up from his Daily Bugle newspaper and smiled.

"Well, lookie here. If it ain't Fredo himself…" The man said with a Brooklyn accent, "Brought his colleague over right on time."

"Good to see you, Dan." Frederick nodded, "Same goes to you, Jack… Ronald."

Jack was a brown moustached man wearing a cowboy hat and a black suit. Ronald on the other hand was a large man of African-American descent who wore a green shirt with a black coat. Along with Dan, they eyed Ned with interest.

"Hey kid, we heard about your work." Ronald said raising a Daily Bugle newspaper titled, 'SPIDER-MAN'S CRAZY KILLER ANTICS' with a picture of Spider-Man diving down from the Empire State Building.

"Yeah, that's my photo alright…Mostly." Ned said in response and admitted that Spider-Man took that photo for him.

"You must have quite a bit of inside work to have a picture like this." Jack spoke in a Southern accent.

"Oh yes… These guys are people from legitimate enforcer business." Frederick introduced to Ned, "They're people from FBI, CIA and other high organisations. You can trust them."

"Really? What's the big crisis?" Ned asked before the men motioned him to take a seat.

"We're tasked with tracking the web slinging vigilante around here." Dan replied twiddling his thumbs, "We have orders to take him down."

"Seriously, why?" Ned asked sitting down.

"Don't worry, we ain't harming him until we know what he is." Jack said.

"Alright… I'm taking my leave." Frederick said before heading out of the door, "Have fun, kid. And don't worry… I've told Jameson with what's going on with you…By email."

As Frederick walked out, Ned was left alone with the three men who were wondering with what to do with him.

"Catch…" Ronald said before throwing a smoking Cuban cigar in Ned's direction.

Ned caught the cigar before the hot tobacco butt burned his palm for a brief moment to which Ned immediately stopped by grabbing wrapper.

"Ever tried one of these before?" Ronald asked.

"No…" Ned said examining the cigar before declining it by throwing it back to Ronald. Ronald caught the cigar and put it into his mouth and smiled.

"Put that away, Ronald." Dan insisted shaking his head.

"So…Mr. Ned Leeds. Junior photographer at the Daily Bugle." Jack said diving into pork ribs, "You're on CIA watchlist, you know that?"

"Oh god… Please, I only took pictures with him." Ned said nervously.

"Oh, you're innocent… For now. We just need you for our investigation." Dan said, "Help us and we'd change your life around."

"Change my life?" Ned asked.

"Money, kid…" Ronald said, "A reward. Seeing as Fred told us how you're from a poor family."

"Uh…I'm not poor. We're just struggling with bills." Ned said as he continued conversing.

"You're gonna need the money… Trust me, it'd be good for all the family members. Especially your mother." Jack insisted.

"Hey, don't go too personal into my life." Ned said as he began to feel uncomfortable with the three men.

"Excuse me, young man?" The waitress asked behind Ned startling him, "Are you interested in having anything here today?"

The waitress handed Ned a menu which Ned looked through carefully before answering.

"Uh…I'll go with some black tea." Ned said before smiling while the waitress took the order.

Turning around to face his new accomplishes, Ned began questioning them again.

"So, what's the job, guys?" Ned asked.

The three men looked at each other. Before Dan gave out an answer.

"We're going places around here to dig up some things. You're gonna help with the evidence we give back at the law." Dan replied before smiling.

* * *

 _10:00 am_ _Mason Consolidated Repairs_ _…_

Travelling with the three men, Ned arrived at a place that looked abandoned and taped up with yellow crime scene investigation tape. He was apprehensive on the location of the place and weary of the possible crime scene he was about to witness.

"How long has it been since a regular officer came here?" Ronald asked.

"Almost a week. Six days. Bet they've confiscated the place already." Jack replied.

"Go through the door then." Dan said.

Ronald walked up to the taped-up door and ripped the yellow tape off the garage door. With his immense body strength, he charged at the door causing a huge dent on it. The next charge then knocked the door down revealing what is inside.

"Are cops allowed to do that?" Ned questioned carrying his digital camera in both of his hands.

"We're on a higher level than cops." Jack assured Ned.

Together, the four of them walked into the place and examined what was left of it. The shelves were empty, and the boxes had been ransacked with items confiscated.

"Drat… Jackie, find where they took the items." Dan said dissatisfied with the lack of anything in sight.

As Jack began looking through his phone, Ronald began snooping around the place believing there is more than what can be seen so far.

"What are we looking for?" Ned said.

"Classified items. This place once belonged to a guy who worked with Hammerhead and gave him all sorts of arsenal." Dan replied.

"Hmm… If I had to guess, Shocker? He's the first guy that comes to mind." Ned answered.

"It's a guy named Phineas Mason. He made a lot of crazy things in this warehouse." Dan said.

"Ah, Spider-Man called that guy, 'The Tinkerer'." Ned said, "Because he tinkers things."

Dan looked at Ned with a funny face before commenting.

"Funny name… Don't even think the Daily Bugle has thought about it yet." Dan said.

"Yeah… Jameson only names the people with freaky abilities." Ned said back.

Ronald then punched down a wall layer cracking it to reveal a hidden room. At first, he was elated before being disappointed once again.

"Cops these day are more intelligent than you think." Jack commented noting Ronald's disappointment, "Anyway, I found the place."

"Good…Let's make a move then." Dan said as Jack showed the location on his phone.

* * *

 _10:54 am Astoria Police Precinct..._

Yuriko Watanabe served the NYPD for three months already as lieutenant. Her service as a police officer was a deviation to what her grandparents and parents wished for her growing up. Yuri had always looked up to her uncle Kenneth's role as a sergeant.

Over the past months since Spider-Man's fight against Hammerhead and other villains, Yuri remained indifferent to the vigilante's actions. On one hand, she ponders on vigilante actions to bring down crime while also creating a boundary for herself to stay with the law.

Today, Yuri was conducting an ongoing investigation regarding a property dispute issued by Oscorp regarding the items taken from Mason Consolidated Repairs. The office work was driving her nuts as not even the coffee she is drinking can relieve the boredom. Yuri longed for action and was eager to go out there and take down criminals.

"Captain, I'm sure all these things belonged to Oscorp. They're the only ones making this claim." Yuri said rubbing her forehead, "If it's really their stuff, then it's back to normal."

"You can't cut corners like this, lieutenant." The captain said in front of her desk, "I don't believe they can take that much credit on things."

"In New York, Oscorp runs all pretty much." Yuri said, "And I need a break. Stretch my arms out or practice my shooting."

"Lieutenant, we've been slacking with this investigation for weeks now. We're getting it done or Oscorp will cut its valuable security fundings for our precinct." The captain ordered.

Meanwhile, Jack, Dan and Ronald walked into the precinct like cowboys entering a bar. Their presence evoked authority at the sight of many other police officers.

"Captain, the feds are here!" An officer yelled out.

Leaving Yuri's desk, the captain walked out to greet the trio.

"So, what are you guys here for?" The captain asked.

"Captain, we're here for the items in dispute." Dan answered.

"Eh, could you come back later? We need to resolve this case first." The captain said.

"We'll take care of it." Jack insisted.

"On who's authority?" The captain questioned.

The trio looked at each other before deciding what to do next.

"Listen, cap…We have our rights." Dan said holding up his identity, "We can override you cops any day."

"And we'll reward your service…" Ronald added, "After all, this case warrants federal attention."

"How about you show us now? You don't want any trouble from us?" Dan said while holding onto something beneath his pocket.

The captain nodded feeling threatened by their presence. As they walked around the precinct, Yuri saw the captain lead the trio down to where the evidence room is from her office. She thought it was strange to see federal agents walk into the precinct today.

The captain opened up the evidence room for the trio and lead them to a secure case that contained a whip-like device.

"Where are the other items?" Jack questioned.

"Some of them are back in Oscorp custody and others are stored at other companies." The captain informed.

Jack stared at the device and smiled.

"Always loved the tanning the hide of cattle back at home." Jack said, "Captain, unlock the doors for us."

"What?" The captain questioned.

"You heard me, unlock the door…" Jack demanded.

As the captain opened up the safe lock, the trio stared at the device with glee.

"Sweet mother of Alabama…" Jack said as he walked up to touch the device.

"It's better than nothing…" Dan added.

Without hesitation, Jack plucked the device out of the cabinet examining its fine details.

"There's no power in that thing by the way… Just for safety measures." The captain assured.

"Oh, I understand alright…" Jack replied.

"Alright, captain. You know where they keep the rest. Tell us where to find them." Ronald demanded.

"Uh…Sure. If you would follow me." The captain said before leading them away.

Once they left the weapons locker room, Yuri watched from her window as the trio walked out with the whip device.

"What the hell are they doing with that?" Yuri wondered.

"Thank you… Captain Bramstorm." Dan ordered, "Your contribution to our investigation is much appreciated."

As the trio walked out of the precinct, Yuri came rushing out to talk with the captain.

"Seriously? You let them take that away?" Yuri asked.

"They hold more authority on us, lieutenant." The captain said, "Maybe they'll finish the case for you."

"Uh-huh. Don't know what makes this case big to them." Yuri said.

Meanwhile outside the precinct, the trio discussed about their finding.

"Well, we got something alright…" Dan scoffed while looking at the device in Jack's hand.

"Thanks to the captain, we're on a roll for hi-tech now." Jack said.

"Speaking of which, you know we have to whack him after this." Ronald questioned.

"Shhh… Keep the w word out from public." Dan hushed, "Anyway, what's up with the kid?"

"We're keeping him locked in our place for entertainment. Unless we need him, of course." Jack informed regarding Ned.

"Think he'd snoop around too hard?" Ronald asked.

"The kid? Maybe. But as long as we keep our holsters ready…" Jack said.

"Big Man doesn't want us to whack the kid. It'll jeopardise his work." Dan warned.

"Big Man? What about Kingpin? Would he want us to keep the kid around?" Ronald asked.

"Hey, let's keep our heads focused. Then we check on him." Jack said reminding them of their mission.

* * *

 _5:49 pm ACME Garage…_

Ned was fidgeting his fingers nervously in the hideout of the three men he had encountered today. Sitting in the longue room for the majority of his day, he had been told to stay here and have fun in the longue. The place had plenty of things fit for entertainment including arcade machines; gaming consoles and movies.

"Hello Ned… Had a fun day today?" Dan walked in with Jack and Ronald behind him.

"Oh, hey guys…Uh, I'm glad you're all back." Ned said getting up from the couch, "I was just about to fall asleep."

The trio eyed the mess Ned had made while they were gone.

"It's pretty late now. I probably should leave right?" Ned asked rubbing his eyes.

"Hold on there, Ned. We're not finished for the day." Jack said.

"Oh yeah… You might be right. I didn't take any pictures today." Ned said, "Mr. Jameson isn't going to like me for that."

"That's right. In fact, we need some special pictures from you." Ronald confirmed.

"So how did you get those photos with Spider-guy?" Jack asked.

"He casually went up to me." Ned said.

The trio looked at each before Dan took a handgun out of his holster and pointed it at Ned.

"Why don't you try calling for him?" Dan asked with the gun aimed at Ned, "You know I can shoot the ten pieces of silverware behind you."

"Ten pieces of silverware?" Ned questioned right before Dan starting shooting.

Ned ducked in fear after the shots were fired and looked behind to see all the silverware plates neatly stacked behind him drop to the floor with bullet holes in all of them.

"C'mon, Leeds. You call him and we may let you go. Otherwise there's bound to be some form of tragedy for your family." Dan threatened.

Ned then realised that the men in front of him were corrupt federal agents who seemed to have been paid by someone to do their dirty work. This revelation made Ned want to deny the idea Frederick sold him out, but the possibility was there.

"Great…Just as I was about to get comfy around here." Ned said.

As the trio threatened him, Ned did as they asked sending a message to Peter Parker who was in the middle of a dinner date with Gwen.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: Not a huge fan of the Enforcers in the comics to be honest but that didn't stop me from including them. So, I made them corrupt law enforcers instead. Think the 'Three Wise Men' from Training Day.**


	11. A Breakup

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 11)

 _6:09 pm Rooftop …_

Spider-Man swung into scene where he found Ned standing in the middle with his camera.

"Get out of here, dude…" Ned stated the moment he saw him land.

"You texted me, remember?" Spider-Man reminded, "So I tracked you down."

"Yeah…But…" Ned stated before shouting, "Look out!"

Spider-Man's senses kicked in when he pushed Ned out of the way as a mechanical whip smacked him aside.

"Well… Ain't this thrilling?" Jack stated strolling in with his cowboy hat, "Look how easy it is to get up, close and personal with the Spider-Man."

Soon Jack was joined by Dan and Ronald. Dan looked as if he was ready to deal with Spider-Man with his fists while Ronald simply looked imposing in size.

"Corner him…" Dan said as the trio walked up to Spider-Man as he got up.

"We haven't introduced ourselves, partners…" Spider-Man said in a mocking Southern accent.

"You've got a huge bounty on yourself…We'd be proud to take you out." Jack said crackling his whip-like device.

As the three corrupt law enforcers cornered Spider-Man, Ronald could not help but notice Ned at the back with his camera.

"Who's gonna worry about the kid?" Ronald asked.

"I've got him…" Dan insisted before turning his attention to Ned and walking up to him.

Dan aggressively grabbed Ned and demanded something out of him.

"You're gonna get a good scoop out of this one, kid. Don't mess this up." Dan ordered.

Spider-Man stared down at Jack and Ronald as they surrounded him. He was also focused on Dan to ensure that Ned does not get hurt in any way.

"It's just me you want…" Spider-Man said warning them to not hurt Ned.

Soon, Spider-Man launched himself at Jack knocking him down before Ronald grabbed him by the neck and hurled him across to the other side.

"Wow… Sure is a big dude." Spider-Man said after landing a bit hard on the concrete floor.

"Gonna break you real hard." Ronald said walking towards him while pulling a gun out of his pocket.

Spider-Man then shot his web out and pulled the pistol out of Ronald's hand. He then broke it in half rendering the weapon useless as the bullets fell out.

"Guns don't impress me." Spider-Man stated as Ronald came forward.

Later, a bullet was shot out of Dan's hand to which Spider-Man dodged thanks to his senses.

"Well, let me say I'm impressed you dodged that." Dan stated, "Other people drop down once I fire."

"Oh, you call yourself a good marksman?" Spider-Man asked, "To be honest, there's a lot of people I smacked around that say they're good."

"Next one better be for your mouth." Dan said as he fired another bullet which instead of hitting Spider-Man, it hit Ronald on his forceps instead.

"Ow!" Ronald said kneeling down as he held onto the area where the bullet struck.

This was due to Spider-Man trying to move out of Ronald's way as Dan tried to aim at him. The next thing that Dan saw coming was Spider-Man jumping up and shooting webs at him.

Dan's hands were instantly tied up by the webs as Spider-Man pinned him down. Using his martial arts skills, he managed to flip Spider-Man over and stood up while attempting to shake off the web fluid.

"Take it easy, man. It's gonna be harder to shake off if you…" Spider-Man said before Dan managed to punch him.

Spider-Man did not expect that hit and took the blow from Dan.

"Ow…" Spider-Man said holding his chin, "Congratulations…You deserve the 'I punched Spider-Man' sticker in crook class."

"We're part of the law, alright?" Dan said putting his fists up, "And we're shutting down your duty."

As Dan came rushing forward, he withdrew a knife out of his belt and started swinging at Spider-Man. Spider-Man ducked and weaved from Dan's furious attacks before sliding behind Dan and tripping him before knocking him out silent and trapping him with a sheet of web.

Spider-Man then turned his attention to Ronald who held Ned's hand and threatened to kill him.

"I'll snap his neck clean…" Ronald said as he held onto Ned.

"You know that right there… Is disgusting coming from you guys, who work for the law." Spider-Man noted.

Just as Spider-Man was about to figure something out, Jack had recovered and whipped Ronald away.

"We need that kid alive, dumbo." Jack reminded.

"Ow…You left a mark on my cheek. Asshole!" Ronald shouted rubbing his cheek while letting Ned go.

"Good… I love it when bad guys get into arguments." Spider-Man trying to decide how to deal with them.

Spider-Man then walked over to the ledge of the rooftop and started his taunt.

"Hey, big guy. You mind charging here?" Spider-Man asked putting his arms to rest.

"Ha! You think I'm some big dumb guy who'd fall for this?" Ronald laughed as he stood his ground.

"What? Of course, not…" Spider-Man said, "I meant the other guy. The one who's got the awesome whip weapon."

"Ha! Well, I ain't coming any closer." Jack said while attempting to be cautious.

Spider-Man then let out a sigh.

"This is the day where I finally meet coward bad guys. I guess I am a legend after all that I've done." Spider-Man boasted.

Jack and Ronald looked at each other debating who should go up against Spider-Man.

"You're big and tough. I don't think his webs can touch you." Jack insisted.

"Well, you're the one holding onto our newly acquired tools." Ronald said, "There's a reason why we have them."

"Fine…" Jack said before walking up to Spider-Man.

"Okay…Uh… I don't know what to really call you. Whiplash? John Marston?" Spider-Man said, "But good on you for taking your chances."

"People have called me 'Montana'…So let's go with that." Jack said before coming forward.

Jack then started taking out the whip and swung it wildly. Spider-Man watched carefully as Jack came forward with a bit of a smug attitude. Soon, Spider-Man jumped backwards off the building much to Jack's confusion.

"Where the hell did you go?" Jack said thinking that Spider-Man had swung off before seeing Spider-Man standing with his two feet on the building sideways.

In a quick response, Spider-Man shot out two strings of web and tugged hard at Jack. Jack tried to hold himself, but Spider-Man's strength caught him off guard as he was flung over from the ledge.

As Jack screamed, Spider-Man managed to stick him upside down against the building while his whip device fell to the ground. Jumping back up, Spider-Man faced Ronald who was holding Ned hostage.

"I'm sending this man to a hospital." Ronald said holding onto both Ned's arms.

"Aren't you forgetting about me?" Spider-Man asked walking forward.

Ronald then let go of Ned and cracked his knuckles.

"Alright, now I get to shine." Ronald said smiling.

Spider-Man then gave Ronald the satisfaction of trying to land a few hits on him.

"You know my friend here punches better." Spider-Man commented as he dodged.

"I don't get hurt by those words, bug man." Ronald scoffed before realising Ned had a web shooter on him which landed a hit onto his face causing him to twirl.

This gave Spider-Man the chance to do some work by spraying as much web fluid as possible and bring Ronald down as fast as possible considering how much of a big person he is. Ronald was then finally knocked out cold after Spider-Man delivered the last hit by kicking his face onto the ground.

"I knew this old design came in handy." Ned said taking the web shooter off.

"Uh…When did I…" Spider-Man questioned.

"Since I helped Phil with your tech and stuff. And then one day, I realise if Spider-Man's enemies come for me. What could I use to defend myself?" Ned asked.

"And the webs?" Spider-Man asked.

"The chemical formulas you've written back at high school. They work out." Ned smiled.

"Right…You mind telling me what's going on?" Spider-Man asked, "Why did I have to come here to get my ass kicked? Are you setting me up?"

"Uh…No. I can explain. Somewhere that's safer." Ned said looking around.

* * *

 _6:46 pm Leeds residence…_

After escaping from the scene, Spider-Man swung down with Ned and landed in Ned's backyard where the trapdoor to Ned's basement was.

"So, you're saying you might have been set up?" Spider-Man asked as Ned opened up the trap door.

"Probably…Frederick just left me with those guys." Ned said leading Spider-Man into the place where he, Phillip Chang and Peter Parker used to hideout during their fight against Hammerhead and Chameleon.

"Are you sure you're safe here?" Spider-Man asked again.

"Um…" Ned replied thinking about what to do next, "I don't know."

"You know what? I think I'll make an excuse with Aunt May." Spider-Man said resorting to his persona as Peter Parker.

"Oh, wow… A sleepover? That's cool. Hang on, I'll go back into the house… Say hi to everyone then come back with some clothes for you." Ned said before rushing out the door.

Peter then peeled back his mask a little and sat down on the couch before getting his phone out to ring Gwen.

"What the hell was that back there?" Gwen answered sounding rightfully upset.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I…" Peter tried to start.

"I don't care, Peter. I don't accept your apology." Gwen cut in.

"Oh, that's okay…I…" Peter said while being cut off again.

"We're never gonna spend any good amount of time together, are we?" Gwen questioned.

"Gwen, there's just a lot of baggage." Peter said rubbing his forehead.

"That's perfectly fine. What really sucks is your lack of commitment." Gwen stated.

"Ned's situation was urgent." Peter stated.

"Urgent? You can have your time with him, Peter. Oh wait… Unless you follow the 'Bros before hoes' code with him." Gwen said.

"Hey calm down, Gwen…" Peter tried to assure her.

"I am calm. Actually, let's resolve this quick. Peter, you know people can break up without losing their love for one another. I think we need to do this just because our lives won't catch a break these days. Am I right?" Gwen asked.

Peter sat there in silence trying to process what Gwen had said.

"Um…" Peter tried to start.

"I think it's better. No more dinner dates; no more movies. I guess I'll move on. You know… Just like how you moved on from MJ back then when she left." Gwen said, "Good night, Peter."

The phone call then ended with Peter putting the phone down.

"Well…My relationship is ruined." Peter said sighing to himself.

Ned then came back with a pair of fresh clothes in his hands.

"Hey, I got your PJs and your work outfit for tomorrow. You told Aunt May yet? You okay there, dude?" Ned asked.

Peter then looked at Ned before giving him a straight answer.

"I just broke up with Gwen." Peter said.

* * *

 _7:25 am New York train…_

The next day, Peter decided to take the trainline with Ned to work. They sat near the end of the train rear far from most other people who were busy on their phones; newspapers or food to care.

"Hey, maybe one day we'll come across another girl." Ned stated trying to cheer Peter up, "Not Betty though. You know about her."

"Yeah, let's focus on the… Other problem." Peter said attempting to forget about it.

"Right…Maybe we can try fish around his office. See what things he's hiding." Ned said.

"I'll do that. Then I've got to figure out who those guys were." Peter said, "And…"

Just as Peter was about to say anything further, his eyes caught the attention of a billboard outside as the train whizzed by. There were workers attempting to put up an almost complete advertisement over the billboard.

Wilson Fisk's large face was plastered on it. Even though it was an advertisement, Peter felt as if his eyes were watching him which seemed to unsettle him considering his encounter with him as Spider-Man. The advertisement also had a slogan which read, 'Keeping your neighbourhood together in a sensible manner; elect Fisk.'

"Peter?" Ned asked trying to get his friend's attention.

"Sorry…Um…I got distracted by how cool being in this train feels compared to… You know." Peter said.

"Um… Okay. Oh, I see." Ned said realising Peter was talking about how he usually swings around.

"Let's focus on that thing for today." Peter said placing a hand on Ned's shoulder.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	12. The Truth Behind Office Doors

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 12)

 _8:03 am J. Jonah Jameson's office, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

"Mr. Urich hasn't been up to date with his work, has he?" John said sitting on his chair while talking with Frederick.

"Yeah… Poor guy, he's getting old. He's probably getting torn down by age." Frederick replied.

"Oh…I'll talk with him, alright…You have a point with age, Foswell. My own wrinkles can feel it." John said, "And how's your collaboration with Leeds going?"

"He's a bit of a troublemaker…" Frederick replied while pondering onto that question, "He's…Been obsessed with that Spider-Man. Could land him in trouble."

"Well, if that's the case… We can give Spider-Man another red-flag based on the experiences of one Bugle employee." John said while managing a proud smile.

Soon, Peter and Ned burst into the office doors causing John and Frederick to stare back abruptly.

"Hey! Knock on the door first." John said.

"Forgive us, Mr. Jameson. We just want to be as early as possible." Peter replied.

Frederick took note of Ned who was standing with Peter. His thoughts ran with trouble seeing him; the corrupt federal agents seemed to have failed their duty.

"Ned. Good to see you here." Frederick said, "Did you have fun yesterday?"

"Stop right there! Fun?" John questioned with a bewildered expression.

"Yeah… They were…Awesome people." Ned answered pretending nothing suspicious had happened.

"Leeds, I hope Foswell isn't talking about you partying all night yesterday. Am I right?" John asked, "Anyway, got any photos of interest?"

"Um…" Ned replied before looking at Peter to which Peter had no idea how to help. It took a bit of time before Ned mustered an answer.

"You don't have any…" John swiftly answered.

"Yesterday was a convoluted situation. Uh… Spider-Man basically told me to not take any pictures." Ned semi-admitted.

"And who is Spider-Man? He's a self-entitled troublemaker who thinks he's above the law. If I were you, I'll refuse that request right off the bat!" John snapped.

"Mr. Jameson, I've got some catching up to do… You mind if I…?" Frederick butted in.

"Sure, sure… Off you go then." John said waving his hand up and down to dismiss him.

After Frederick left, John began to show more of his displeasure in front of Ned.

"Mr. Leeds. I don't keep you around because I pity you…. Well I do. I keep you around because I expect WORK from you! I'm relying on you to keep the public's interest in the Bugle!" John shouted.

Peter then noted the stress Ned was undergoing after John's harsh voice.

"I… It won't happen again, Mr. Jameson." Ned said while feeling like there were tears out of his eyes.

"It better not." John grumbled while rubbing his forehead.

"Mr. Jameson…I'm just curious how good exactly is Mr. Foswell here as an employee?" Peter interjected.

"He's one of the Bugle's best reporters. He can dig a solid worth of information and it sells." John replied, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Cause Ned told me that Frederick has been doing a poor job supervising." Peter said back.

"I don't know if you're just trying to make me feel soft in front of Leeds or not. But Frederick is one hell of a reporter and he's been good at reporting Leed's growth here." John said.

"Say, may I suggest something?" Peter asked.

"Speak your mind, Parker." John replied.

"You don't mind if I give the photography stuff a shot as well, right?" Peter said.

"You're managing my finances, Parker. It's what I pay you to do." John said.

"But…Think about it. I can help Ned with Spider-Man pictures and other stuff you'd like. If he's struggling, don't you think he deserves some help to make his job a little more efficient?" Peter proposed.

"Eh.. You can't steal someone's thunder, Parker." John said shaking his head.

"No way…I mean tracking down someone like Spider-Man is hard work. Hell, it'd be harder if he was facing new supervillains." Peter continued, "Would you consider the maximisation for effort?"

"Bold request, Parker. But I do appreciate it." John said, "Hm…You might want to give me time to think about it. Hell, maybe we do need backup against the Globe's photographer."

"Well, okay…" Peter said.

"Alright, alright… You two… Get to your stations. Parker, help out Robbie." John ordered, "And Leeds… Don't disappoint me like that again."

* * *

 _Outside Frederick Foswell's office…_

"Take a deep breath, Ned. I've got your back." Peter said.

"I think the levels of cortisol inside my head is melting me." Ned replied.

"Well, focus. We've got some digging to do." Peter said.

The two then stopped in front of the door that covered the entry into Frederick Foswell's office.

"I think he's in there now." Ned whispered.

Peter slowly walked up to the door and pressed his ear against it.

"Doesn't seem like it." Peter said before holding onto the doorknob before trying to turn it.

"Also…Locked." Peter added.

"Gotta be hiding some weird things…" Ned said crossing his arms.

"I'll find a way to deal with this place." Peter said.

"How?" Ned questioned before Peter gave him a look to which Ned realised.

"Are you serious? Why would you do that?" Ned asked, "You do realise Mr. Jameson…"

"I don't care. I get bashed by his publications no matter what I do…" Peter said, "So…Whenever I have time. I'm going to have a peek behind this door. Yeah, I also assume there's ventilation systems in this building that can help me…"

"Okay…Who knows what he has." Ned said, "Frankly, I want less trouble today. So…I'll see you at lunch time?"

"Sure…" Peter agreed.

* * *

 _9:30 am Secret meeting room…_

Jack, Dan and Ronald sat around a circular table and waited inside the dimly lit room. The place had some artistic flair to it with the paintings hanging on the wall as well as other items such as Ming Dynasty vases sitting across the room.

Soon, the door opened with Frederick Foswell arriving under his Big Man persona. The mask covering his face made his presence unsettling and cold in front of the trio. However, this was topped by Wilson's arrival.

Wilson's scale made the people around him feel like worms. The man himself wore a white suit that stood out from the black/dark suits that were in the room.

"Morning, gentlemen…" Wilson spoke as he sat with the three federal agents.

"Morning to you, Mr. Fisk." Jack replied putting his cowboy hat down.

"I heard about last night…And I'd like Mr. Foswell to explain first." Wilson said turning his attention to Big Man.

"I hired the three of them to handle Mr. Leeds." Big Man explained, "But I believe something got lost in translation with them."

"This was a simple job…" Wilson explained, "Now we're attracting even further unwanted attention."

"Mr. Fisk. To be fair, you always catch everyone's attention. I mean look at yourself… You own some nice penthouses; fancy restaurants and you're married to that art collector woman of yours." Dan said, "You have a huge company and yet you hire us to do your dirty laundry."

"Tell me, Mr. Brito. Are you and your agents always brash in catching crooks?" Wilson questioned.

"We're generally good with putting down fugitives." Ronald answered for Dan.

"Trust me, Mr. Fisk. It's not just their skill but their status." Big Man added.

"I don't care about that now!" Wilson snapped, "I care that someone in the Bugle can jeopardise our work. Now with Spider-Man around, we've made it more difficult for ourselves."

"Don't worry, Mr. Fisk. We've taken note of our web-slinger foe now." Jack assured.

"You better hope so or I'm cutting you out of my operations for incompetence." Wilson said back.

"So, how's your pet human battery doing, Mr. Fisk?" Dan asked referring to Electro.

"He is none of your concern." Wilson answered back, "You three… You're dismissed. Go back to your regular jobs."

"Will you promise us the payment?" Dan questioned.

Wilson paused before giving out his next word.

"You two…" Wilson said pointing to Jack and Ronald, "Leave. And you… Mr. Brito. Stick around if you want to talk business. Mr. Foswell, you stay right here as well."

Jack and Ronald got up from their chairs and left in a respectful manner leaving Wilson, Frederick and Dan alone. Once the doors closed, Wilson approached Dan and violently grabbed him by the throat and choke-slammed him. He then viciously started punching Dan's face.

Big Man watched as Wilson unleashed every bit of his rage. It was obvious to him that those who were interested in Wilson Fisk's wealth pay the biggest price of regret and that talking about salary in general was rude.

In the end, Wilson let Dan live with a bloodied face but there was a chance that his injuries may overcome him. He then turned to Big Man and gave out a warning.

"Keep these men in line." Wilson said, "Discipline them."

"Of course, Mr. Fisk. I apologize for his behaviour." Big Man said.

"And keep an eye out for Mr. Leeds. We cannot allow public controversy to happen." Wilson ordered.

* * *

 _9:35 am Empire State University Student Longue…_

Meanwhile, Gwen was hanging out with a bunch of ESU students in the student longue area. The place seemed like the perfect spot to kill off excess time when there is no class.

"Broke off with him…Shame." Patrick, a male student said to Gwen as they were playing eight-ball pool.

"It's okay… I still got enough sleep over it." Gwen mumbled.

"You know you're lying if you say it in that tone." Samila, a female student noted.

"Alright, it looks like it's my turn." Gwen said as she took aim at the cue ball with the cue stick.

Just as Gwen steadied her aim, a hand grabbed onto her shoulder which ruined how she hit the ball. She turned around to see who it was.

"Well, well…I knew it was you. Good to see you around here, Gwendolyn." A male student said wearing an ESU sports jacket.

Gwen instantly recognised who it was based on the slick half blonde and brunette hair. It was Flash Thompson, no doubt the confident attitude gave it away also.

"Oh, hey Flash…Finally…I get to meet you here again after talks that you and Liz were here together." Gwen said.

"Well…I'm not with Liz anymore." Flash replied, "She and I parted ways… But really, it's on good terms. In fact, I found someone else."

Flash then introduced an Asian girl who was standing behind him. She was quite pretty from Gwen understood and Flash certainly knows how to pick.

"This is Shailene Nguyen. She's studying healthcare. Shai… This is Gwen, one of the people who went to Midtown with me." Flash said introducing her to Gwen.

"Hey… Nice to meet you." Shailene said shaking Gwen's hand.

"Yeah…" Gwen said.

"You know? I've got a lot of word about what's going on with everyone else. But I want to know how things are going with you and Parker?" Flash said teasingly.

"You actually care about Peter?" Gwen asked.

"Duh… Who forgets about him?" Flash replied, "The biggest bookworm, am I right?"

"We're not together anymore, Flash. So, I actually don't know what's up with him now." Gwen said, "Now, I was just in the middle of a pool game and you interrupted me."

"Oh, shoot… Yeah. I'm sorry…" Flash said, "In fact, tell your friends to give you another go since that obviously did not count."

Gwen soon waved goodbye to Flash as he left with his girlfriend to go elsewhere. She shook her head knowing how awkward it is to reunite with old colleagues from Midtown High.

As she continued playing, one of her friends notified her about someone staring at her through the glass window.

"There's a weird looking guy just standing there." Patrick said, "You know him?"

Gwen looked up and was surprised to see Professor Miller Warren standing beneath a tree outside. His eyes looked behind his glasses as he watched Gwen with care.

"Yes…That's the professor who gave me my internship." Gwen answered, "Hang on, maybe he wants to talk grades or something."

Gwen then decided to come outside and greet Miller who watched her approach him.

"Professor Warren…So great to see you." Gwen said, "Haven't seen you around campus lately."

"Well, yeah…" Miller said with a smile, "I was busy really…"

"Was it our work? Come to think of it, we haven't been doing a lot recently in terms of the internship." Gwen said.

"Aha…There is an explanation. I was publishing in results and…Making appointments with Anton regarding the physiological changes he got from the serum." Miller said, "I'm sorry if the substitute teachers had been boring."

"I see. Still…" Gwen said.

"Don't worry…" Miller said, "We'll be resuming our work once I clear things. How are your grades going, may I ask?"

"Quite well…" Gwen replied.

"Mhmm… Excellent response. You are a talented student indeed, Ms. Stacy. You have a lot of potential ahead of you." Miller said.

"Thanks…" Gwen replied again, "Did you want anything else from me?"

Miller took time to think but his consistent response was to smile.

"You are one remarkable student. I just… Want to say… If you are interested in… Being a part of the next phase of experiments I'm conducting." Miller said, "What do you say?"

* * *

 _12:00 pm Frederick Foswell's office…_

Spider-Man could not find a ventilation system in the Daily Bugle building as the place is mostly just standard air conditioning. So, he opted to sneak into the Frederick's office by trying to get through the window.

While trying to get in, Spider-Man was concerned about the citizens down below or at other buildings around him spotting him. But it was urgent for Ned's sake and potentially the safety of others, that he investigate who Frederick really is.

"There we go…" Spider-Man muttered as he slowly opened up the window and snuck in.

Spider-Man was nervous as he was uncertain when Frederick could come back. Worse, it is John and his accusations against him that bring so much pressure. If he was caught being inside the Daily Bugle building, the papers will have more context on him being a menace.

"Okay…Seems well organised." Spider-Man noted looking around the small office space.

The bookshelves did not seem to give anything away with topics such as world politics; history and geography were on display. There is no guarantee for Spider-Man if any of the books hide secret information.

On Frederick's desk, there was a family picture of him and a little girl to which Spider-Man assumed was his daughter. Other things include a tea jar, a copy of today's Daily Globe and sticky notes regarding reminders.

"Write up about Queens Redevelopment Scheme…" Spider-Man said examining one note, "Seems like he and Fisk have one thing in common."

He then turned his attention to the closed laptop and slowly booted it up.

"Now if I remember the hacking tricks Phil taught me back in high school or email. Just hope there are only a few worms when I open this up." Spider-Man said taking a USB drive out.

Beginning to override the laptop security; Spider-Man easily surpassed it and found various files that Frederick had.

"Alright, let's take my time before someone comes in." Spider-Man said before beginning a thorough examination.

The files had a variety of things; there were unfinished draft articles with some of them referring to Spider-Man about the trouble he causes.

"Typical… Wait a minute." Spider-Man then noted articles with the words 'Fisk' involved.

"So… Fred does have something going on with Fisk it seems." Spider-Man managed to note.

Further examination prompted to Spider-Man to copy some things onto the USB drive in an attempt to gather as much shady evidence as fast as possible. With this evidence, it could help him decide to track down Frederick and what exactly he was up to.

Soon, Spider-Man heard footsteps on their way and decided to terminate the USB drive in an attempt to escape being caught. He jumped out of the window and attempted to pull the window glass down as the door lock clicked.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: Shailene Nguyen is based off Sha Shan Nguyen, the name of Flash's ex-wife in the comics.**


	13. Spider Crisis on Campus

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 13)

 _12:12 pm Frederick Foswell's office…_

As the door opened, Spider-Man jumped out of the window before realising he forgot to close it as he hung on the side of the Daily Bugle building and watched the pedestrians and vehicles below him.

"Shit, I forgot to shut the window…" Spider-Man thought looking back up to check and wonder if Frederick is in his office.

To Spider-Man's surprise, Ned was in the office closing the door and snooping around which made him pop up in front of the open window.

"Ned? What the hell are you doing?" Spider-Man asked startling him from the window.

"Geez! It's you… Dude…Don't scare me like that…." Ned said grasping at his heart.

"How did you get in here?" Spider-Man asked.

"I pick locked this door…" Ned explained while holding out an open paper clip.

"Right… Are you hiding anymore hidden talents from me?" Spider-Man asked while reminding him of the time he pulled out the hidden web shooter.

"I'm resourceful…" Ned replied, "Uh… Did you manage to get some things here?"

"In my USB drive…" Spider-Man said pulling out the drive-in front of Ned.

"Got everything?" Ned asked.

"A lot of things…" Spider-Man answered, "Maybe there's more…"

"Uh…If that's the case, we should get out of here." Ned said now feeling like he wasted his time.

"We got more to figure out…" Spider-Man said.

"Right…" Ned said thinking that there was more to see in the office.

"But not here…" Spider-Man assured.

"Oh…" Ned replied, "Then I guess there's no point being here."

As Ned prepared to leave, Spider-Man stopped him.

"Wait… Don't walk out the door." Spider-Man insisted.

"What?" Ned questioned.

"Trust me… You don't know who's out there." Spider-Man said, "Fred could be walking back any moment."

"And what's your plan for…" Ned was about to question before Spider-Man suggested out of the window.

"Are you serious?" Ned asked, "You want to piggyback me out of the place?"

"Or you could walk out that door and make things more complicated potentially." Spider-Man said, "I'm your one-way ticket out of here."

Ned thought about it before agreeing.

"Ugh…Okay, uh... You do whatever you can…" Ned said.

Spider-Man then let Ned piggyback on his back as the two got out the window. It took a while to get out of the window due to Ned's weight, but Spider-Man managed to get him out while also grabbing onto his hand as he climbed out too.

"Oh my god… Peter. I feel nauseous being this high." Ned said looking down at the streets below.

"I've got super strength… Hang on." Spider-Man said as he held onto his hand.

"Hurry up… I'm terrified." Ned said trying to look away.

"Alright grab onto my shoulders." Spider-Man said as he got Ned to position himself.

Afterwards, Spider-Man closed the window with his foot and crawled up the Daily Bugle building with Ned on his back. Moving at a faster pace than usual, Spider-Man got to the rooftop with Ned where they took their time to catch their breath.

"Oh my god… Why?" Ned said still shaken by the experience.

"You haven't tried web-slinging with me yet." Spider-Man replied.

"Actually, that might be something cool… Even though heights suck…" Ned said, "Speaking of which, who tried it with you?"

"Oh... Um… MJ." Spider-Man answered, "Which is a story for another time."

* * *

 _6:45 pm Parker residence…_

Back at Peter's house, Peter and Ned examined what Peter dug up in Frederick's office on his laptop within his room.

"So…Fred is in business with this Wilson Fisk?" Ned questioned.

"Now we got that information… We've got to figure out what he writes about him overall." Peter said.

Peter and Ned examined all the articles Frederick had been writing up and the other files.

"Check this one out…" Ned said pointing onto a letter file on screen.

Peter clicked on it and opened up the document which detailed a timetable of things.

"Blackie Gaxton? Lonnie Lincoln?" Ned questioned looking at the document, "Bribery?"

"I've heard of the name, Lonnie Lincoln. That's a gangster situated in Harlem." Peter informed.

"You know who that guy is?" Ned questioned.

"Only by his reputation. Back in the day when I was figuring out my crime fighting. I keep tabs of bad people you know…" Peter said again.

"Oh? So, you're compiling a rogue's gallery, am I right?" Ned asked.

"Just some people that matter to me the most. Shocker, Chameleon… Flash Thompson." Peter said prompting Ned to laugh a little.

"Flash idolises Spider-Man, you know?" Ned said smiling.

As the two shared the joke, Aunt May opened up the door which caused Peter to jump up.

"Hi Aunt May. Is there something I can do for you?" Peter said as he attempted to hide the stuff on his computer.

"Oh, I just dropped by to… Uh… To give you two some cookies I made at work today." Aunt May said before presenting a tray of baked oat cookies.

"Oh, uh… Thanks, Mrs. Parker." Ned said grabbing one.

"Peter, would you like one too?" Aunt May asked.

"I'm fine… Actually… Sure." Peter answered before grabbing a cookie too.

"You two busy with work? I do apologize for the sudden entrance." Aunt May said.

"It's fine… Um… Thanks for the cookies." Peter said smiling.

"You okay, Peter?" Aunt May questioned raising an eyebrow, "Are you two snooping online for girl pictures again? As in… 'pornography'?"

"WHAT?!" Peter blurted out, "Oh my god… Aunt May, we're grown ups now. I mean…We've learnt our lesson before regarding this."

Aunt May chuckled remembering Peter's time as a teenager. She then switched the topic.

"I hope the journalism work you two are doing is fine… Speaking of which, I wonder if you've heard the terrible news." Aunt May said.

"About what?" Peter asked.

Beneath the cookie tray, Aunt May got out a Daily Globe paper and gave it to Peter.

NO FEAST FOR FISK

By Edward Brock

 _The Fisk campaign for Queens is promising major reforms; especially when it comes to law enforcement. However, the campaign to elect the borough has hit back at Wilson Fisk. Fisk had been building up an overwhelming amount of support for his vision. That was until, the people at the F.E.A.S.T. organisation had something to say._

 _F.E.A.S.T., which is a renowned non-profit organisation situated around New York City supporting the homeless and disadvantaged have their offices in Queens threatened to shut down in favour of Fisk promoting his own charity organisation, Fisk Foundation._

 _Though this organisation is designed to support the poor as well, its controversy comes at the loss of F.E.A.S.T. employees who would lose their jobs. One of the employees working at the Queens described the potential shutdown as 'ignorance that will tear apart the community'._

" _F.E.A.S.T. has given people purpose. A safe haven. And it's sheltered us to the point where we can come back to the world anew." The employee stated, "And here is, Wilson Fisk who does not understand the struggles we have to endure to get there."_

 _Despite the protests, Fisk had defended his choice explaining that, "I have no doubts that helping the poor is a noble cause. But what is the point when we can offer actual jobs instead of putting valuable money into an organisation that spoon feeds them?"_

 _No word has been given from Martin Li, the founder of F.E.A.S.T. who is said to be in China doing business at the moment. So far, New Yorkers are gathering all they can to retain the organisation's status. The upcoming election between Fisk and Randall will determine the outcome of F.E.A.S.T.'s future._

"This is something…" Peter said after reading the paper.

"Yes… It is sad. Lucky that you and I don't work there anymore." Aunt May said to Peter, "I'm just baffled."

"Oh, I am baffled…Believe me." Peter said reading the newspaper carefully again.

* * *

 _9:03 am Professor Warren's Lab, ESU…_

Miller led Anton back to chamber where Anton first received the serum injection. Miller was looking as confident as possible today with a smile on his face. Aside from his red shirt, Anton on the other hand had covered up his face over the past days to the point where he wore a cap and bandages over his face making him look like the Invisible Man.

"Don't worry…" Miller said, "You're showing remarkable change."

Anton then sat on a chair beneath a beaming light and was strapped on both arms and legs. His thoughts ran with uncertainty as Miller approached above him staring down from his glasses.

"I'll help take those off you…" Miller said taking the cap off before unwrapping the bandages off him.

Anton was stiff as possible as Miller unravelled the bandages off him. Deep down, he believed the serum given to him by Miller during the internship demonstration was wrong. But he had believed Miller's care over the past few days.

After Miller finished taking off the face bandages, he smiled at the sight of Anton's face.

"Your physiological changes are expected. But this treatment will take you to the next stage." Miller said.

Yet again, Anton could not say a word. His mouth had been sealed shut ever since there were strange hair-like features all over his face. Furthermore, his mouth had changed to a more insectoid-like mouth which had caused him much anxiety that he had been avoiding everyone lately.

Miller then got a needle syringe out with an orange coloured substance that he was preparing to inject.

"I don't suppose you feel too much pain, Mr. Rodriguez. But I'll make this quick regardless…" Miller said as he prepared to deliver the treatment.

* * *

 _9:34 am Empire State Coffee Club…_

Gwen was sitting around with another girl, Christie she made friends with at university. It was another day at university.

"Man…This is so much better than the Coffee Bean. I don't get why people go there all the time." Gwen said taking a sip out of her cappuccino.

"I sure would have loved going there instead. But hey… This isn't bad either." Christie agreed.

"The problem with Coffee Bean is that they put too much powder into the drink." Gwen stated, "Hell some of the people there aren't that well versed in whisking their milk."

The two shared a laugh. As the two sipped their drinks, Gwen's friend began asking about the deal she made with Miller Warren.

"So… How's things going lately? Study, work… Life in general?" Christie asked.

"Well, I saw Warren again… He offered me a part in his research, and I said… I'll think about it." Gwen stated.

"Oh? You should think twice by the way. Volunteering in research projects is actually an excruciating experience at times." Christie noted.

"What's your story then?" Gwen asked.

"Sleep deprivation… Don't try it if you're not into caffeine." Christie replied.

"Well hopefully that turned out well." Gwen laughed.

"Nah…I thought it was pointless research in the end." Christie said, "Say anything else besides science?"

"Oh, sure. I've been keen on music. I've…." Gwen said before they were interrupted.

The sounds of many students and staff screaming were then heard alerting the attention of Gwen and others. A bizarre arachnid-looking creature was scurrying about with its eight legs with four of them sprouting from the back. It attacked people by spitting out webs out of its mouth and was distracted by everything around it all at once. The creature also wore what looked like red.

Gwen watched in disbelief at the creature's eyes shifted about as if it was searching for something. She watched the creature hiss and spit more web out. She was unable to figure its behaviour before the creature started darting towards the university campus café.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	14. Spider-Man vs Man-Spider

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 14)

 **Note: Hope you all enjoy Far From Home when it comes out…**

 _10:02 am J. Jonah Jameson's office, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

"I'm sorry, Mr. Urich. I'm going to have to let you go…" John said holding the head of a phone near his ear, "Besides, you deserve the retirement and care from your children."

John listened carefully as Urich spoke with his voice being muted to everything except John's ear.

"Look…Uh- I get it. When people get old, their memories start to go haywire sometimes." John said, "What? I'm not saying you have Alzheimer's! That's not how I treat others."

Tired of the talk, John was ready to terminate the call.

"Look…It's a busy day at the Bugle. No one can catch a break. Everyone's straining themselves and catching colds because these days there's a gold mine of media to report." John said, "I'll still send you over that nice box of Christmas meat I promised this year, okay?"

As the call neared its termination, John gave out his final word to Urich despite his protests in his ear.

"I hate losing you, pal. You were definitely one of the most hard-nosed reporters I've known in my career." John said, "Goodbye!"

John hung up the phone and placed his thumbs on his forehead.

"Don't beat yourself over this, Jonah…" John mumbled to himself before deciding to open up the window behind him.

As John let the air into his office, he was startled when he noticed a silhouette that resembled Spider-Man swinging. He was shocked when it came closer and displayed a petrifying spider face with fangs and multiple eyes.

"AGH!" John screamed as the strange creature swooped by like Spider-Man and swung away.

Falling down backwards away from the window, John was spooked and after witnessing the monster, he knew there was a headline.

* * *

 _Meeting room…_

"So obviously I'm not crazy when I say I've seen what looks like the face of Spider-Man." John said to everyone in the room.

Peter and Ned looked at each other before having to listen to what John had to say.

"After all these years…Spider-Man decides to show his face in public. Why? Because he wants people to fear. He wants people like me to go, 'Jonah, you better stop trash-talking me or I'm feeding off of you.' Hah! You think I'm scared? I've got all the guts to spare for the whole world to realise about him!" John ranted.

"Do we have clear images on what this 'Spider-Man' looks like?" Betty asked inspired by Peter's attempts to stand up against John.

"Clear images? I saw the red on him. It's him. No doubt." John said, "No one else swings like he does. Oh… Let's not forget, he's not even a human under the mask."

"And what about the blue?" Robbie asked, "Did you see any of that, Jonah?"

"Must have torn those off his costume, now that he has all eight arms instead of four." John grumbled.

"Mr. Jameson, if I may interject." Peter said, "I can help track down pictures of that Spider-Man."

"Oh, I don't know, Parker. He might eat you alive now if you do that." John replied.

"Well actually…" Peter added, "What if I can uncover some things regarding where it came from?"

"Parker, I asked you to be a photographer like Mr. Leeds. Not a reporter." John reminded.

"Of course, it's photography." Peter stated.

"In that case, I'm happy to back Mr. Parker's findings." A man of Indian appearance called out.

"Well, Mr. Prahim… In that case, Parker has my approval now." John stated, "Alright, um… Let's all get back to stations."

"Do we need to worry about building safety, Mr. Jameson?" Someone called out.

"No need…I'll see to it." John answered.

* * *

 _11:10 am Professor Warren's Laboratory, ESU…_

It had already been hour or so since the spider-like creature had been let loose onto the campus grounds of Empire State University. The case was so bizarre that Manhattan's top police commissioner, Phillip DeWolff arrived with his team to see what the fuss was about.

Miller was shivering a little as the authorities were grilling him. Somewhere deep inside his mind, he was struggling to suppress the secret within him.

"Professor… Your work is already compromised. Now you have to tell us things to help with our investigation." Phillip, the old man requested.

"I can't… I've worked so far with this. It's not easy if I lose my grants and all." Miller said being cagey, "I need some else to talk with."

Peter and his reporter partner arrived on the scene to witness the damage and showed off their Daily Bugle name tags to get permission onto the scene.

Peter was worried about whether Gwen got hurt and wanted to know if she was okay after looking around the destroyed lab.

"What have you and Warren been doing in this lab?" Peter wondered as he snapped a few shots.

He then got out his phone and rang Gwen.

"Gwen? Are you here? It's Peter… Just heard about the incident, are you still around uni?" Peter asked.

"Hey. I'm still alive, okay. I'm still at the university. With my dad now." Gwen answered.

"Cool. Whereabouts, are you?" Peter asked.

"The Student Longue place…" Gwen replied, "You'll find it."

Peter then excused himself in front of the Daily Bugle reporter.

"Excuse me, Mr. Prahim… I've got some other matters to take care of on this campus." Peter said.

"Family, Mr. Parker?" The reporter questioned, "If so, then okay… But make sure we have photos to bring back."

"Yeah, got it." Peter said and head off.

"No running in the lab!" Miller shouted from behind as he noticed Peter scoot off.

* * *

 _Empire State University Student Longue…_

Peter rushed in and found students and staff all stationed together with police surrounding them. Peter looked around the crowd before spotting Gwen sitting around a table with George.

"Gwen! Thank god, you're okay…" Peter said.

"Easy there… She had a rough day." George said as he tried comforting his daughter.

"Oh, you need space now. Okay…" Peter said before attempting to keep his distance.

"No, it's okay…" Gwen said, "I'm glad you're here."

"I heard about the news. New Spider-Man, is it?" Peter asked.

"More like Man-Spider." Gwen stated, "Buggy eyes, freaky mouth… I'm going to have nightmares."

"I thought you don't have any of those…" Peter said trying to lighten the mood before Gwen gave him the cold stare.

"Sorry, not a good time for jokes I see." Peter added.

"I had a weird feeling…I played a part in this mess. A lot of us did." Gwen said.

"So, what's Professor Warren's deal with it then?" Peter asked.

"Don't know… But I swear that thing is Anton. Remember, the friend I've told you about?" Gwen asked.

Peter thought hard and realised that Gwen might have mentioned that name before.

"Anton… That's who it is, huh?" Peter replied, "What's the guy's surname?"

"Rodriguez…" Gwen answered, "It's not like you know him."

"Of course, I don't… But um… It's why I'm in the Bugle." Peter replied, "Um- Take care, Gwen."

Peter rushed off in relief knowing his ex is safe and decided to pursue the runaway experiment.

* * *

 _6:30 pm Building rooftop, Manhattan…_

After the hours of being confined to the Bugle are over, Peter hoped not much had happened since the creature's escape. The temperature in New York today was cold but without snow. He was hopeful about the police being capable in handling the situation but also thought about other things.

"What if this is Wilson Fisk's attempt to frame me?" Spider-Man questioned, "Surely, he's not crazy with going the generic route in making a duplicate of me."

"It's possible. He's the guy who's brought Electro out of prison and he has cops with him who might not be the nice ones. Oh wait… That's got more to do with Queens than Manhattan."

Ned then contacted Spider-Man through the ear communicator.

"Aren't you cold in just spandex?" Ned asked.

"Yeah… But actually, not that freezing." Spider-Man answered.

"Bless your spider powers then… Enjoying the view up there?" Ned asked again.

"I've seen Manhattan at night before. It's honestly cool and it's free for me." Spider-Man said looking over the city.

"So how are you doing with your genetic clone guy?" Ned asked.

"I'm prepared. I've got some things to use to get this guy's attention." Spider-Man said before shining a light from both of his web shooters.

Together, the light shined an infra-red light in the night sky that was bright enough.

"Apologies to all the other superheroes who use this tactic." Spider-Man said trying to align the light signal together to make something resembling his red mask.

"Kind of looks like me but not really." Spider-Man said observing the signal, "Oh, Phil… You sure you don't have another way of doing this?"

Spider-Man's arms were a little tired as he attempted to keep the Spider-Signal present in the sky. This prompted him to even lie down. Eventually his Spider-sense began tingling a little but not as strong as he hoped.

"Something is definitely…" Spider-Man said to himself before being surprise attacked by the spider-like creature.

The creature began using its arms to physically swipe at Spider-Man who dodged them as fast as possible before one arm landed a cut on his costume.

"Careful… It's not easy to sew things back together." Spider-Man as he felt like he was fighting himself.

The creature hissed and spat out a string of web which stuck onto Spider-Man's left web shooter. With its strength, the creature pulled using its mouth to detach the web shooter.

"No, no… Not my web shooter!" Spider-Man before jumping in to land a kick onto the creature's stomach which knocked it down the building dragging Spider-Man along.

As they fell, Spider-Man used the other web shooter to save themselves as they zipped by thousands of New Yorkers. The creature gained back its instinct and used the tips of its legs to create web swings.

"Oh man… If only I had that many arms." Spider-Man said chasing the creature down.

* * *

 _6:54 pm Stark Industry Warehouse…_

Eventually, Spider-Man tracked the creature into an old warehouse that was once a Stark Industries warehouse. The place had been built at a time when Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark was alive. Now it was relic of the past sitting in Manhattan as a tourist attraction.

The two crashed through the rooftop tumbling down and hitting as much metal structural supports. Spider-Man felt bruised as he tried hanging onto the creature that Gwen had dubbed, 'Man-Spider'.

"You are one ugly… Actually, you're everything I wish I didn't become beforehand." Spider-Man said hanging onto a roof support.

Man-Spider hissed from down below as he faced his target.

"Damn it, how do I stop this guy?" Spider-Man wondered.

Man-Spider jumped into the air with incredible speed and managed to drag Spider-Man down from the ceiling.

Using four of its eight legs to pin down Spider-Man, the creature hissed again and spewed webs from its mouth and onto Spider-Man's mask.

"Gross…." Spider-Man said struggling before kicking the abdomen-like area behind him.

Man-Spider reacted and pounced off as Spider-Man regained his strength. Looking around, Spider-Man thought that maybe if there was enough heat, the creature could be subdued.

"Oil drums perhaps? Or what about the gas cylinders? After all, bugs are scared of fire." Spider-Man said.

Man-Spider continuously was trying to find ways to take down Spider-Man taking the stance of a defensive male spider at times. Pouncing all over the place, the creature eventually sunk its fangs onto a gas cylinder.

The flammable gas made Man-Spider swing its head around as the gas leaked. Spider-Man managed to cough the gas and attempted moving away. Eventually, Man-Spider swung the cylinder into the direction of the oil drums knocking them down.

The reaction of the gas and oil together proved reactive as flames were ignited as soon as the boom came. Man-Spider was startled by the sight of flames and was even burnt by the embers. Immediately, the creature was attempting to flee.

"Not so fast." Spider-Man said throwing a spider-tracer onto the creature's abdomen.

Man-Spider swung out from the rooftop crash hole into the sight with Spider-Man attempting to tail along. His attempt to bring Man-Spider down was delayed when parts of the roof collapsed. As Spider-Man fell down, he landed on his back hard before a steel beam starting falling. Luckily, Spider-Man held onto it before being crushed.

"Oh f-… All this time fighting him, and I forgot that this guy's a person." Spider-Man said pushing the steel beam off him after reminding himself that this was Anton Rodriguez.

Once that was done, Spider-Man swung out of the warehouse through the crash hole where he and Man-Spider first entered before the place blew up. The sound was enough to startle people, but Spider-Man hoped no civilians were hurt nearby. Perching onto another building and clutching on his back, Spider-Man watched the warehouse go up in flames.

"Oh man… That does not feel good on my resume." Spider-Man noted.

* * *

 _9:45 pm Stacy residence…_

That night, Gwen returned home feeling a little disturbed. The sight of a monstrous creature nearly eating her was something to haunt her dreams. She could not afford to eat dinner and opted to try and forget things by going to bed early.

As she slept, her mind was numbed by visions of Man-Spider that even her pillow could smother it out. She knew the world was a bizarre place and that seeing things like Spider-Man swinging or Shocker using shockwave gauntlets was normal. But seeing a grotesque monster-like thing felt too much.

"What exactly have I been helping the professor with, this whole time?" Gwen questioned trying to relax herself.

Eventually, her brain gave in and she could rest. However, she opened her eyes at the point where a spider was crawling next to her glass of water. Her hand was also close to the glass at that time. She freaked and broke the glass of water after swatting the spider off her hand and killing it.

George came rushing into the room to see what was going on and saw the mess on the floor after turning on the lights in her room.

"Oh no, you broke the glass." George remarked before noting the dead spider as well.

"Sorry, overreaction." Gwen said, "I'm just freaked out by spiders now."

"Arachnophobia? Nonsense." George stated.

Gwen got out of her bed in an attempt to clean up the broken glass before George interjected.

"I've got this." George said trying to find the sweeping pan in Gwen's room.

"So, dad…I know you work close with Spider-Man, am I right? You think that's really him?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know, sweetheart. I'm not part of the police force these days. If I was, I'd be in on all the information." George assured, "Besides, it's out of character for him to be like that."

"Yeah, I guess. I've never talked with him before." Gwen said to herself recalling that there was never a time Spider-Man came down and said "Hi" or anything.

"He is a friend around this neighbourhood for sure. But he's a hero and he has a lot to do. I haven't spoke to him in a whole if I'm being honest." George said.

"Really?" Gwen asked.

"Yep… We've haven't talked since… I guess the time we discussed about Maxwell Dillion." George said.

"Huh. I guess he's being protective then." Gwen said.

"Indeed…" George said sweeping up the last bit of broken glass.

"Dad?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, sweetie?" George questioned.

"I don't know if I want to continue with science. I know there's safety hazards in that subject but…I just feel things are getting out of control all of a sudden." Gwen said.

"Gwen, me and your mother don't know about your choice with music either." George stated, "We want the best out of you."

"I just…" But before Gwen continued, she was overwhelmed by emotion and placed her arms around her father.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You'll be fine, I promise." George replied as he let his daughter embrace him.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: This chapter had some partial influence from the story of a horror-themed Spider-Man film that nearly got made during the 80s by Tobe Hopper.**


	15. To Catch A Spider

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 15)

 _10:05 pm Manhattan swinging…_

Tracking the location of the spider-tracer attached onto Man-Spider, Spider-Man stayed on target for the half-arachnid hybrid. He was intent on staying up all night trying to chase down the loose science experiment until he could figure a way to subdue it.

"Oh man, what excuse can I make with Aunt May this time?" Spider-Man thought as he continued swinging.

Man-Spider has got to be nearby as Spider-Man continued swinging. While this was happening, Spider-Man noted that there were police helicopters on patrol tonight with the same intent of finding the creature.

"After what happened with Electro at the subway. I'm definitely making sure this one goes down." Spider-Man said, "And hopefully the cops don't shoot me on sight as well."

* * *

 _10:25 pm Midtown Clock Tower…_

Picking up where the tracer was signalling off, Spider-Man came face to face with an old-fashioned clock tower building situated in the modern city of New York.

"Another historic monument…" Spider-Man sighed as he felt his Spider-sense go off, "But he has to be in there."

Jumping onto the top of the clock tower, Spider-Man carefully opened up a hatch with his hands and entered the clock tower.

"Ugh, it smells but at least it's not an industrial area this time." Spider-Man said as he stepped onto the creaky platform.

Turning on his thermo-vision function on his eye-lens, Spider-Man looked around to see if there was anything moving in the dark. He then spotted some orange and deduced that Man-Spider was hiding out here.

"I see you. Wonder why you wanted to hide here though." Spider-Man questioned before realising the creature has the same sense as him.

In a quick flash, Man-Spider shot out its webbing onto Spider-Man's face causing him to stumble around a bit.

"Argh, this is worse than my own medicine!" Spider-Man complained as he tried to take the webbing off his face.

Relentlessly, Man-Spider pounced onto Spider-Man in a struggle to be rid of him.

"Hey Anton, is that your name?" Spider-Man tried to talk, "Can I ask that us Spider-buddies need to make sense of this situation? How exactly did you become a spider guy?"

However, the tactic did not work as Man-Spider was prying open its jaw while attempting to take a bite off Spider-Man's head. All the while, Spider-Man himself was bound by four appendages from Man-Spider.

"He's just an animal at this point…" Spider-Man thought as he fought hard for his survival.

"Hope this works." Spider-Man said as he tased Man-Spider with electrical current from his web-shooters.

Man-Spider responded to the jolt letting Spider-Man go before Spider-Man kicked the creature off. As the webbing off his mask started to melt off, so did parts of his mask leaving parts of Peter Parker's face exposed.

"Oh great, his webs break down my mask?" Spider-Man said as he felt his right naked eye and mouth exposed.

More trouble was on its way as Spider-Man heard police squads trying to make their way towards the top of the tower. It was clear to him that the police had been tracking Man-Spider hard as he was.

"I need to incapacitate this thing fast." Spider-Man noted before wondering if he take off some of the appendages from Man-Spider.

As Man-Spider darted, Spider-Man dodged as best as he could all the while the cogwheels within the clock tower started to be broken as the two fought. Looking around the environment, Spider-Man formulated a way in which he could tear off some of the appendages.

Jumping around, the intelligence of Peter Parker against the mindless animalistic nature of Man-Spider started to clash. Spider-Man managed to trap Man-Spider's appendages between the cogwheels while he stayed behind them.

"Sorry to pull these legs off you." Spider-Man said before taking off each appendage with his strength.

Spider-Man could hear the pained hiss of his foe as he tore each of them off; he managed to pull four of them which was enough since Anton was supposed to have two arms and two legs anyway.

After the brutal deed was done, Spider-Man watched as Man-Spider squirmed on its back. He was confident to know that this incapacitation method would work without killing him since spiders can survive amputation so long as they do not lose blood.

The police squad arrived with firearms armed with torches in hand as they aimed at Man-Spider.

"Something tore those legs off him!" An officer yelled.

"Careful, that thing can still shoot webs and move a little. Tranquilize it now!" A police chief yelled.

Spider-Man had to escape the scene while watching the police squad shoot darts at Man-Spider. Despite being able to leave through the open hatch, one officer managed to hear him.

"What was that?" An officer wondered waving his gun around.

"I don't know, probably a rat or a bat. I bet they made themselves home here." Another officer responded.

"Anyway, looks like we finally caught 'Spider-Man'." The same officer noted.

"We'll see. Never thought he be this freaky up close if it's really him." The officer replied back while starting at the unconscious body of Man-Spider.

* * *

 _12:09 am Fisk penthouse…_

Wilson was fast asleep in his own little double bed with his wife,Vanessa who slept like a royal queen next to him. He dreamed that the people of New York City would all rally behind him while his enemies were shunned as he hoped. And Vanessa, the love of his life with her beautiful streak of white hair against her brunette hair standed next to him in support. It was an ambitious dream for him given his own dirty dealings but should he play his cards right, the odds will be in his favour.

His phone suddenly tuned in a ring tone during the night much to his annoyance in which he turned on the lights and responded. Vanessa woke up too feeling a little sleepy eyed.

"Who is this?" Wilson asked rubbing his eye.

"We've got news to report, boss." A police officer's voice stated, "The spider creature that escaped from Empire State? It's been subdued."

"You couldn't tell me this tomorrow?" Wilson asked again.

"Just want to give an update, sir." The officer responded, "Sorry, if I disturbed you."

"Well, go away. I need my rest." Wilson said turning off the phone and sighing.

"Too many clients, Wilson?" Vanessa asked.

"Too much paperwork." Wilson said.

"Could you shut off the lights then?" Vanessa requested.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa." Wilson said shutting off the light.

* * *

 _7:35 am Stacy residence…_

Gwen opened up her own eyes as she woke up to another morning day. Ever since, the Man-Spider incident, she had been less enthusiastic about going to university.

"Screw science…" Gwen grumbled as she tossed around the bed.

"Gwen! Are you getting up yet?" Helen, Gwen's mother asked.

"Not yet, mum…" Gwen said, "I'll be there."

"Well hurry up, your cell biology test is coming up soon." Helen said again.

"Oh my god, I totally forgot that test…" Gwen said before trying to push herself from the bed to wake up.

As she tried to push however, she came to a halt when both her hands were stuck on the bedsheets.

"Ah, what?" Gwen asked as she tried lifting her hands.

Eventually, the hands got off but Gwen still felt strange about it.

"Where the hell did, I get sticky fingers from?" Gwen asked herself.

She then walked up to the mirror and noticed that her eye vision seemed to be in shape. She blinked twice to ensure that this was not an illusion.

"And mum said, we should go to an optometrist." Gwen said shaking her head which caused her hair to be messy.

As Gwen tried to pick up a comb, the comb ended up getting stuck on her hand.

"Again, with the sticky fingers!" Gwen said as she tried pulling the comb off her fingertips.

As soon as the comb came off, Gwen decided to just head to the kitchen.

Arriving at the kitchen, Gwen met up with her mother and younger brother, Simon who were eating their share of toast, eggs and bacon.

"Gwen, honey. Your hair." Helen said.

"Sorry, cell biology test remember? Gotta have time to study." Gwen said as she reached for the cereal box in the middle of the table.

Once again, her hands got stuck on the box which caused Gwen much frustration in trying to pull it off. Helen and Simon watched as Gwen was putting up with her antics.

"Are you okay there?" Helen asked.

"I'm fine, I just-" Gwen said before letting go and spilt some of the cereal out on the floor.

"Sorry…" Gwen stated.

* * *

 _8:35 am Daily Bugle meeting room, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

Coming off from last night's event, John was trying his best to suppress his excitement all the while being ready to channel more of his disdain for Spider-Man.

"So, the disappointing thing is… That spider creature… Was not Spider-Man." John commented, "But that does not exclude the theory I have about him."

"Which is?" Robbie asked.

"Spider-Man is not a human. He's a beast; an alien from another planet. Under that suit, he's hideous." John said, "Just like that other 'Spider-Man.'"

The staff all looked puzzled as John rambled on.

"As soon as Parker comes here with that photo. We'll have a special J. Jonah editorial published." John smiled.

"And how will this theory lend to the Bugle's credibility?" Frederick wondered.

"It will be hot cakes, Foswell. Imagine… J. Jonah Jameson, the man who finally figured who Spider-Man is." John continued.

Frederick widened his eyes briefly while John continued to dabble in his own pride.

"Jonah, we're not going to call the other thing last night, 'Spider-Man', are we?" Robbie asked.

"Of course, not… Give me time to think this one out." John said.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: I'll be trying to find ways to make Gwen-centric chapters now since I feel I've been doing a lot of Peter Parker stuff with him working for the Bugle and his conflict with Fisk.**


	16. Unravelling A New Web

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 16)

 _8:45 am Empire State University Campus…_

Finally arriving at the entrance of Empire State, Gwen walked onto the prestigious grounds of the university greeted by the bronze statue of its founder, Stanley Oktid. The university motto of 'Excelsior' was stamped underneath it reminding students and staff about the brighter days ahead of them.

However, today was not one of them. Gwen noticed that there were police patrolling the university grounds with their dogs on leash. This was no doubt a response towards the Man-Spider incident. For some reason, Gwen also felt alerted to everything around her as if there was something dangerous.

"Everything okay here?" Gwen asked an officer.

"Actually, yes. For now. Had the situation been any worse, the university would have been closed." The officer said, "That can change though."

"Well if you think so. Thanks, officer." Gwen said before heading to class.

* * *

 _8:30 am Professor Warren's office…_

Earlier, Miller was under a lot stress with not just the authorities. But also, the science and ethics committee. There was plenty of paperwork to be filled out for him regarding the Man-Spider incident.

"I can't take this much reduction." Miller protested looking at the grant paper on his desk.

"I'm sorry, Miller. The money needs to be well spent but surely it can't impact your research too much right?" The female committee director stated.

"It is too much!" Miller yelled, "In fact, I don't consider that a failure. Those were positive results that can be taken elsewhere."

"Creating a monstrous arachnid, Warren?" The committee director asked again, "Isn't that unethical?"

"If there was no consent, of course. But Mr. Rodriguez and I went through this. We talked and we were ready for consequences. We-." Miller answered before being stopped.

"Regardless, you never stated to us about the full depths of this project." The committee director interrupted.

Miller grumbled underneath his breath and had the urge to tear out the committee director's throat but managed to suppress it.

"I apologise. You know…I've been fascinated with New York's arachnid hero lately, I must admit." Miller stated.

"Spider-Man? What does that have to do?" The committee director asked.

"There's so much about him that is shrouded in mystery. And I'm at the peak level of discovery to uncover all the fascinating biology he has. To make better versions of ourselves." Miller said before cracking a smile.

"Okay, okay…Uh, why don't you take your time with the paper?" The committee director said as he turned around.

"Why don't you consider the breakthrough of my research as well?" Miller argued, "After all, you still let the guy responsible for the magnesium blow up to continue working around, right?"

The committee director turned around to face Miller before giving his word.

"Professor Warren… You might want to watch that sharp tongue of yours. You're lucky that we haven't considering firing you." The committee director said.

"Oh, you wouldn't want to try. It would be a shame to lose me." Miller warned.

* * *

 _8:54 am Empire State University…_

As Gwen got close to class, she managed to catch Miller running out in a hurry before bumping into him.

"Oh, hey Professor!" Gwen greeted.

"Gwendolyn Stacy. Here on this day, huh? To be honest, a lot of you students should be staying home." Miller stated.

"Oh, really? But we've got a cell biology test, right?" Gwen replied.

"Might want to check again, the university could close down for real next day." Miller said holding onto a piece of paperwork.

"So, everything okay?" Gwen asked.

"So far…" Miller said while trying to crack a smile and holding onto the piece of paper, "It's tough having to deal with things like a crazy spider man."

"Right…Hope you can get through it, sir." Gwen nodded in response.

"Oh and…One more thing before you go to class." Miller said.

"Yes?" Gwen asked.

"I've been setting up individual meetings with everyone who had been involved with my internship." Miller said, "They're at my place in Queens. My office is compromised at the moment."

"What is this about?" Gwen asked again.

"You see…I'm trying to get through everyone regarding the consequences of our work. You know what I mean?" Miller asked.

"Uh, sort of… Um… I have some things I want to say too." Gwen stated.

"Well, hold them off. You have class. Let me know when you want to visit me at your convenience. It's still urgent though, so please come along." Miller said.

Gwen thought hard about the offer and found it strange that Miller would arrange meetings at his place. Then again, it would seem everything at Empire State University at the moment is a mess so it makes sense.

"Alright… Um, I can stop this afternoon around 4 o'clock?" Gwen asked.

"That's absolutely perfect. Anyway, I'll see you there." Miller said before starting to walk away.

As Gwen walked to her class, Miller titled his head a little as he thought he sensed something strange from Gwen.

"I will definitely be seeing you." Miller thought.

* * *

 _9:30 am The Raft…_

Meanwhile, business elsewhere took place at the Raft. Wilson made his way through the penitentiary he was partially responsible for building and took the elevator down to a level where individuals are being scientifically examined.

Accompanied by prison guards and James Wesley, he stormed the place before entering the room where Man-Spider was held. The creature had its mouth covered by a muzzle of sorts and contained within a boxed transparent cell where it was trapped in.

"I'm having so much fun with him, Mr. Fisk." Dr. Gerhard Winkler stated staring at the cell.

Wilson observed the creature in fascination while it continued to struggle. Before giving out his own input.

"This isn't fun, doctor. This is research." Wilson stated, "More importantly, answers for our enemy."

"Of course, I've tried the anaesthetics by the way. They seem ineffective. Would killing it be worth it then?" Gerhard asked.

"No…After all, this isn't just a creature we're talking about." Wilson answered aware that Man-Spider was an ordinary human beforehand.

"Indeed…" Gerhard said.

"Keep working. I have another thing to get to." Wilson said before leaving Gerhard with Man-Spider.

As he left, Wilson stopped by another area in the Raft that he had special access to. Within another room, he watched prison guards surround a cell that was half-filled with water. The cell was like a fish tank until Wilson motioned for the water to be drained.

After all the water was drained, Wilson watched a drenched Electro in prison clothes fall to the ground as he breathed heavily before looking up.

"You asshole… Kept me in this cell like I'm some sort of fish." Electro growled with sparks of electricity jumping around his hands.

"You are important, Mr. Dillion. But have no worries, you are ready to be free once more." Wilson said.

"I'm just an asset right now, is that it?!" Electro yelled.

"You'll come around, Mr. Dillion." Wilson said taking a small device from a guard's hand before pressing it.

Electro then felt jolts of electricity pass through the collar around him which shocked him and empowered him at the same time.

"Oh, I'm feeling it now." Electro smiled.

"As you should. I have another chance for you regarding your web-slinging friend." Wilson said.

"Way to get me motivated, Mister Kingpin." Electro replied acknowledging the alias of Wilson as he continued to spark up.

"Do a special task for me. You'll need it." Wilson said.

* * *

 _9:30 am Daily Bugle building rooftop…_

Peter and Ned went up to the rooftop examining the damaged Spider-Man mask from last night's fight against Man-Spider.

"You sure you can repair that?" Ned asked.

"Of course. But it's complicated." Peter said holding onto the mask and being wary of the acidic webbing.

"Can you shoot acid webs?" Ned asked again.

"No… That will be irresponsible of me." Peter stated.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Ned asked.

"I've got a hunch with the F.E.A.S.T. areas. Plus, I've got plans with some other bad guys. Mainly that Lonnie Lincoln." Peter said.

"What about him?" Ned asked concerned.

"He's got a lot of big things with Fisk." Peter stated.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: Stanley Oktid is a play on Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.**


	17. New Host

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 17)

 _4:01 pm Warren's residence…_

Gwen arrived a minute into Miller's house. The place was a nice two-storey suburban area and is perhaps one of the better houses she had seen around Queens. Walking up to the door, she pressed the doorbell as hard as she could.

"Hang on!" Miller yelled as he rushed down the staircase.

Opening up the door, Gwen was greeted by the sight of Miller's messy hair and glasses.

"Gwendolyn Stacy… You're a minute late. Not that it matters though. Come inside." Miller requested.

As Gwen stepped, the house began to turn into a character itself. There were diagrams depicting human evolution and prehistoric life that acted like house paintings.

"You like prehistoric stuff, Professor?" Gwen asked questioning his taste in art.

"Since I was a child you could say." Miller said leading Gwen to the living room.

As Gwen sat down, Miller asked if she wanted coffee or tea.

"Tea or coffee?" Miller asked.

"I'll go with tea." Gwen said immediately.

"Alright then, make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back…" Miller said before going to his kitchen.

Gwen was then left alone for a brief moment. She looked around the place noting more of Miller's background. There was a picture of Miller with a group of people standing on top of the fireplace. A picture with Miller and a woman, who Gwen presumed was his partner. And an old black and white family picture with a younger version of her old high school teacher, Raymond Warren.

"Hope you don't mind black tea with a lemon piece on top?" Miller said coming back with a cup with a lemon stuck on.

"Creative much?" Gwen asked sarcastically.

"You have a dry sense of humour, I see." Miller said, "But you know why we're here right?"

"Yeah… Um. What is it exactly that I have to come here for?" Gwen asked seriously.

"Well for starters… I'm probably going to lose my position at Empire." Miller said with a hint of sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear." Gwen stated.

"And for people like you, that should have a large impact." Miller said, "I'm trying to communicate with everyone as much as possible on what they can do next. In private, of course."

The words 'private' gave Gwen a suspicious feeling but she ultimately believed that Miller was concerned with the university executives that were going to fire him.

"Well, I'm actually not that hurt if I lose the internship." Gwen stated.

"Not that hurt, huh?" Miller replied almost as if he's raising his own voice.

"Yeah… I do have to confess that I am invested with music." Gwen replied back.

"I see…But science has so much more to offer." Miller said, "And from what I understand, your intelligence could really make things work."

As Gwen continued speaking with Miller, she felt a strange tingling sensation around her as if it's like an alarm to some form of danger. The feeling amplified as soon as she looked at the tea cup in her hand which prompted her to not drink as she placed it down.

"So, let me ask you. Are you willing to support my work?" Miller insisted.

"Support? You mean… It still goes on even after termination?" Gwen asked.

"Of course…" Miller said standing up, "Research never stops. Science requires subjects and samples. Progress demands all these things."

"I'm sure you can find other people, Professor." Gwen stated feeling rather uneasy.

Miller stopped talking for a moment before turning around.

"You're right. But I feel like I lose something if you are out. I can't force you to stay, it's your choice." Miller said while giving out a smile.

Gwen nodded before standing up and leaving the tea which had not been sipped on the table.

"Well, I guess it's a short conversation then. I appreciate your company." Gwen said picking up her bag.

"Aren't you going to try the tea at least?" Miller asked.

"I'm actually okay without it. I do like the presentation of it though." Gwen said as she prepared to leave.

"Why not stay a little longer?" Miller asked as well.

"I would. But I really got other places to run to. So…To keep it short, I'm okay without the internship but I'll try keep in touch with you for future referees." Gwen said as she opened the back of the front door.

"See you later, Professor." Gwen said shutting the door behind her as she left.

"Likewise." Miller said as she left him in the house alone.

"Why didn't we stop her?" Miller asked himself.

"It's her choice, she has that right." Miller spoke back to himself.

"She's important. I can tell. We both can." Miller said going along with the back and forth.

"But what about the boy? Isn't he stuck in a cage now?" Miller said referring to Anton.

"The girl is untested. We will need all the experiments possible." Miller said again.

Miller walked up to his window and stared out into the streets emptily.

"I'll be talking to you again, Gwen. And you'll be cooperative next time we meet." Miller stated.

* * *

 _4:30 pm Alleyway…_

Gwen began walking to a bus stop location using the map app on her phone in attempts to find a route to her house. She was also shaken by her visit to Miller's house and wondered why she left.

"I think I made a mistake thinking he was a cool guy." Gwen said to herself as she walked.

As Gwen walked, she took a moment to rest a little against the alleyway walls.

"How the hell is the transport system this complicated?" Gwen asked annoyed at the map on her phone.

As she leaned against wall on her back, her fingers touched the base of the alleyway wall. After feeling okay to walk again, her fingertips tugged her.

"What the-?" Gwen questioned as she felt the pull.

Slowly pulling away and turning around, Gwen stared at the wall.

"Sticky fingers again?" Gwen thought as she looked at her own fingertips.

Gwen then pushed the tips of her fingers against the wall to see if her hands would stick on. The sticky fingers happened again as Gwen felt the force from it. In her own curiosity, Gwen tried moving up the wall with her hands.

"Mother of…" Gwen said before climbing upwards.

With her bag on her back, Gwen slowly climbed up and was in shock and disbelief as she continued climbing. She wondered if the wall was actually covered in a substance or if it was herself. Aside from a few slips, Gwen made it possible for herself to reach the rooftop.

"This is so high and weird." Gwen said looking down for a brief moment.

She then stared around and walked across the rooftop seeing a view of Queens.

"Am I a natural rock climber? I remember sucking at it in high school camp." Gwen questioned.

As she observed the setting sun, she spotted the place where her bus stop is.

"And there's the bus stop." Gwen said.

Just as she was planning to get down safetly, Gwen soon noticed a string of silk near the edge of her wrist.

"Is this someone's hair or a random spider web?" Gwen asked as she tried pulling at it.

Like climbing the wall, Gwen found the string a little difficult to pull before her wrist spewed out more web freaking her out.

* * *

 _4:35 pm Forest Hills Town Hall…_

Electro stood near the other side of the street watching a crowd of people stationed around the town hall with banners. These people were protesting the shutdown of F.E.A.S.T., an organisation that has given many disadvantaged people a new purpose in life. And F.E.A.S.T. was an integral part to Wilson Fisk's plan.

"Wow and I thought I need a place to stay that bad." Electro observed underneath his hoodie.

He then noticed a group of black surveillance vans arrive with a group of masked men in suits and Chinese demon masks which were black and white. Most of the men carried batons of sorts while a few had pistols and rifles.

"What's with the freaky mask people I see here?" Electro asked into the ear communicator given to him by Wilson.

"They'll be the cover up." Wilson explained, "Do your job."

"One circuity rewiring coming up then." Electro smiled while his hands sizzled with lightning.

* * *

 _7:03 pm The Rockdrum, Harlem…_

Meanwhile, after fixing up his mask, Spider-Man perched on top of building within the Harlem district staring at a specific location from a distance.

"This is the place of Lonnie Lincoln?" Spider-Man observed the door to the nightclub from a distance.

"Looks like it." Ned answered in his ear, "Bad guys like him would definitely use places like these."

"I would have really loved to be partying like the people down here." Spider-Man said looking down at the people arriving to the club.

"Well as long as it's not a vampire one." Ned joked.

"I remember getting kicked out that one time with Harry." Spider-Man said.

"How many times does the past come up, dude." Ned asked.

"Sorry, um by the way… This mask still feels shit." Spider-Man noted as he looked through the stitched-up eye lens, "Alright, time to find out how this links to Fisk's dirty business."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	18. Sticks Against Stones

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 18)

 **Note: Apologies for the delay.**

 _7:30 pm The Rockdrum, Harlem…_

The techno music from nightclub blared out into Spider-Man's ears as he crawled through the ventilation system. The cheers from the crowd as well as the DJ changing tune was enough to make his ears feel deaf.

"This place sounds unbearable so far." Spider-Man complained as he wriggled his way through.

"I thought you don't mind dance clubs and stuff. Unlike me." Ned said into his ear.

"This music is the death of me. It's also the worst-case scenario I had with crawling in ventilation systems so far." Spider-Man said.

"You mean it's worse when it's loud than it stinks?" Ned questioned.

"Actually, it stinks alright…" Spider-Man said, "Anyway, I'm wiggling my way through until I figure out where Lonnie is."

"And now ladies and gentlemen... The event you're all waiting for. The ROCKDRUM!" The DJ announced from the dancefloor below Spider-Man.

"Wow…So this place actually runs more with its name." Spider-Man noted as he listened to the cheers from the crowd.

"Feel free to dance for the night or feel free for the physical action of the night!" The DJ added.

"Physical? Oh, that may be a sight to see." Spider-Man joked.

Spider-Man then peered out through one grate and watched the crowd push through to get to the other room. The flow of the crowd continued until they started backing out. Spider-Man watched as a large hulking albino man in a black suit that reminded him of the one Ian Malcolm wore _in Jurassic Park_. His hairstyle which is white in colour seems stiff with the strands of hair sticking up and unmoving.

"The…Pale looking man." Spider-Man said to Ned.

"You found him alright." Ned confirmed.

Lonnie Lincoln was in scene pushing the crowd away before he had sway on what comes next.

"Get in line, boys and girls. Next one who tries pushing in gets the ring." Lonnie said.

"And people freak out from him; even though I'm sure they're used to him." Spider-Man said.

Spider-Man watched as Lonnie walked back giving him his own cue to go after him.

"Drat…This ventilation system is all dead ends now. Better take another circle around this place then." Spider-Man stated.

* * *

 _7:25 pm_ _The Lumina…_

John Jonah Jameson was out for the night celebrating a nice private five-star meal with his wife, Marla. He could not resisting the temptation of the success he had with one of the latest articles he had sent out to publish.

"So, John… Are you smiling because of your paper or is it about seeing me?" Marla asked.

"Um, I'm just the happiest man on the planet right now." John smiled as he played around with his lobster.

Marla nodded in silence as John continued eating his meal.

"John…I'd love spending time with you. But I really don't feel like any of the good food here." Marla said.

John noted his trembling wife and tried to comfort her.

"Marla, what are you shaking for?" John said, "Salad is getting cold."

Marla started to stand up and leave before John insisted, she stay.

"Marla, come on. Please just sit down and whisper to me the problem. No need to make others around look at us." John stated convincing her to sit.

"Ever since that spider monster went around the university few days ago. I've been traumatised about so many things." Marla said, "I can't sleep and I can't-"

"Relax…Pretty much all of New York knows about that thing. Besides… The police took care of it." John assured her.

"Do we have confirmation on whether this is…Spider-Man?" Marla asked.

"Oh honey…I do not want to see you be afraid. That arachnid is getting his due and this is where it goes from the next level." John said.

"So you're certain that…" Marla stated.

"Yes, I'd have cracked one of the greatest conspiracy theories in New York. The whole world actually." John confidently assured, "Besides, that's not just it."

Marla then changed from her paranoid state to a more calm and rational state of mind.

"I'm probably gonna get that promotion to TV if my reporting breaks out. As in, I get the news host chair and stuff. And…Well what do you know?" John excitedly said.

"I am so happy for you, John. Guess this night is worth to remember." Marla said before kissing John on the cheek.

* * *

 _7:35 pm Rockdrum office…_

"I swear on my life, boss. I thought it be a good way to keep the money going." A man said panicking hard in front of Lonnie.

Lonnie laughed before standing up from behind his desk. His muscular build overshadowed the men who work for him.

"Your life, Rick?" Lonnie replied, "Well, you're absolutely right that you bet your life on it."

Walking towards the man, Lonnie took a hammer from the desk and signalled for two men to take hold of the man in trouble.

"Here's the bet, Rick." Lonnie said lifting the hammer up and plunging it down.

The heinous act continued as Lonnie repeatedly struck the hammer down bashing his victim's skull until the blood and brains began to show. After the bashing was done, Lonnie lifted the hammer and took little breathes for his own stamina.

"The meat wagon." Lonnie instructed before the men dragged the body away.

Lonnie then sat down on his chair with the portrait of him. There were other men standing tall in his office in black suits and blue buttoned shirts. They were ready to defend their boss at any moment despite the fact Lonnie had one thing going. He was desensitised to pain.

In his youth, Lonnie was believed to have developed his pain resistance at some point in his life due to his experimentation with drugs. This was in addition to the fact he was born albino. The reputation of this fact was enough for people like Hammerhead and Wilson Fisk to take him seriously.

"Gentlemen. Tonight is…Really eventful. Everyone wants to have fun." Lonnie said, "Sadly, you can't sell fun for everyone."

Lonnie continued walking around his office talking to his guards.

"It's times like these; where people loosen up and spend their hard-working day." Lonnie said, "Take all the drinks and sugars they can."

Lonnie then stopped and punched down on the floor before grabbing Spider-Man's leg and dragging him out.

"And sniff out worms that hide from us." Lonnie said glaring down at what he dragged out.

"Ouch, that was rough. By the way, I'm a spider." Spider-Man answered after feeling the physical force of Lonnie.

Lonnie casually ignored the hole he made and began conversation.

"The Spider-Man. What a miracle to have you for the day." Lonnie said.

"You know me? Argh…I think I have a splinter. How did you know I was under the floor?" Spider-Man asked whilst in a little pain.

"Oh, I always smell the funniest of things around here and I'd catch plenty of people before spying on me and my business." Lonnie replied.

"Yeah about your nose. Feels like you cut it." Spider-Man noted looking at the drawn back nose, "So you're the legendary Lonnie Lincoln?"

"Oh dear… Apologies. I am double L indeed. But I have a name to uphold here." Lonnie said, "Tombstone…"

"Tombstone…" Spider-Man repeated.

"Yes, I should have been dead a long time ago but…I've felt nothing… In a long time." Tombstone explained.

"Are you saying you're a zombie?" Spider-Man questioned.

"I am the superior life form. A being of in destruction." Tombstone gloated.

"Well, now I believe in horror movies now." Spider-Man joked before Tombstone stepped on his face with his leather boot.

"So, before I stomp you to pieces. Why come to my club sneaking around? I've never asked for you." Tombstone said, "But now you're here… I'm happy."

"I'm actually here to dig up dirt on the Kingpin. You know… Wilson Fisk?" Spider-Man answered.

"You should run to him then. I've only shook hands with him… Let's say, two times." Tombstone stated, "Never liked the man."

"Cool. Um, just get the boot off first please?" Spider-Man said.

Tombstone surprisingly took his boot heel off before continuing conversation.

"He's running a crooked business in Queens and I need to know whether I can find some info on the kinds of stuff he's involved in to bring his empire down." Spider-Man said.

"I liked the jokey mouth better." Tombstone said, "But if you want something out of me. Like a word. You may have to be part of my ring."

"Oh my…A proposal. Lonnie, stop. My heart can't take it." Spider-Man said still lying on the floor.

Tombstone then pushed his boot down on Spider-Man's face again before giving out his next word.

"It's time to show you what I mean…" Tombstone said smiling while revealing his razor-sharp teeth.

"Oh god…This really is a vampire nightclub, right?" Spider-Man wondered looking at them.

* * *

 _8:25 pm Rockdrum Ring…_

The Rockdrum at heart was simply a cage fight for people. It was Lonnie Lincoln's twisted sense of business of ensuring only the fittest get to survive in Harlem. Men and women are both thrown in. Sometimes the fights are bloody; sometimes they are cancelled and sometimes tragedies happen.

From Lonnie's point of view, to keep up a fight helps build a resilient community. Tombstone walked into the crowd leading to cheers to which he proudly reciprocated. Two men are near the end of their fight with one man beating down another.

As the fight approached its end, Tombstone walked to the electrified cage fence and gave the approval for the man to finish off his opponent. The man immediately snapped the neck of his opponent giving out many cheers from the crowd.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Looks like Paco takes home that victory. And now we have another contender to throw in. This one is special." The announcer said from afar.

The crowd waited in anticipation before the answer was given.

"I give you the…AMAZING Spider-Man!" The announcer shouted to which people both cheered and booed for.

Spider-Man casually walked into the scene feeling nervous. This was like the wrestling contest he went to back in the day all over again except death is treated like a regular thing given that nobody batted an eye for the last man. Spider-Man watched as the dead man got pulled away from some ring ladies.

"This place is twisted." Spider-Man said beneath his mask as he was goaded closer to the cage ring.

"Alright, just got to beat this guy right?" Spider-Man said as he entered facing the man.

The cage gate closed and the announcer was about to shout out the start of a new round.

"Hold up a minute." Tombstone interrupted catching everyone's attention.

"Paco here is obviously gonna get his ass whooped. Perhaps someone else should give this round a shot." Tombstone added.

Spider-Man watched as Tombstone opened up the gate door and motioned the man out of the ring. The gate closed again and Spider-Man was left to face the infamous Lonnie Lincoln himself. The crowd soon found itself excited.

"Oh, okay. Um…I'm sure this is fine." Spider-Man said looking around every corner.

"Take it easy. First timers are lucky." Tombstone stated.

"I look forward to whatever freaky deaky thing you're pulling." Spider-Man said putting up his fists.

Tombstone in response decided to rip out his shirt revealing his muscular build. Spider-Man noted fissure-like scars on his chest that feel like they came from a rock. Furthermore, the name 'Tombstone' had been skin carved making it the most unpleasant tattoo Spider-Man had seen.

The crowd had cheers and whistles before the phase of chanting began for Tombstone's name.

"Well, Spider. It's time to hit me." Tombstone said.

"Alright… Hips squared." Spider-Man said curling his fists up.

"Let the fight begin!" The announcer called.

Thanks to spider-sense, Spider-Man first shot web at Tombstone's face leading to increasing boos from the crowd. Tombstone tried punching Spider-Man before he dodged and got behind him.

"Now I have you." Spider-Man said leaping up to kick him.

As the kick was happening, Spider-Man then realised his mistake once his foot made contact. It hurt him quite a bit like how kicking a huge stone would feel. Spider-Man dropped down in pain and almost cursed.

Tombstone turned around and grabbed Spider-Man by the shoulders and threw his entire body against the cage. Spider-Man regained his senses and held onto the cage. Unfortunately, the cage was electric and shocked Spider-Man off.

"Ugh! It's like Electro and Shocker rolled into one." Spider-Man said tried to stand up.

Tombstone got the better of the hand and grabbed Spider-Man again pummelling him as hard as he can. Spider-Man in retaliation tried to punch Tombstone but to no avail.

"No matter what physical hits I throw; I don't think he's taking it." Spider-Man said as he tried to defend himself.

The fight went on for a few heavy minutes until Spider-Man could not take it anymore. Tombstone was winning the game and it would seem Spider-Man could be finished any time soon.

"Such a disappointment, I thought you had the strength to take me on." Tombstone said.

At this point, there was no way. The only way out was if Tombstone won and Spider-Man would get nothing out from him. Tombstone was way more difficult to handle compared to Hammerhead who at least only had his big bulging forehead as an obstacle.

As Spider-Man lay beaten on the floor and felt internal bleeding. If not for his powers; he would be a skinny Peter Parker dying. Tombstone cradled the body of Spider-Man as he beat him and lifted him in the air before throwing him down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Tombstone strikes again!" The announcer shouted leading to cheers.

Tombstone relished the cheers but suddenly felt empty after the victory. He had been trying his best to look for an opponent who can crack him open and he had high hopes that Spider-Man could do it. To Tombstone, the thought of super strength not being able to break him left much to ponder.

* * *

 _Outside alley near the Rockdrum…_

After the match, Tombstone had requested photos from an errand boy of his. To savour the victory, he wanted New York to know how easy it was to beat Spider-Man and make sure that Wilson can respect what he has done.

"Randy…Take the next shot." Tombstone ordered as he guided rebellious African American teen youth around the block holding a camera.

Spider-Man still breathing recognised that this may be the son of Robbie Robertson and that he understands why he and his son are distant now. One was a law-abiding citizen and one was a teen with an ambition to go bad.

"Rob…'s son." Spider-Man whispered as Tombstone dangled him upside down.

Finally, Tombstone and Randy reached a garbage bin.

"You let me down, Spider." Tombstone said, "All that you worked for? I've taken that all away."

With that being said, Spider-Man was thrown in.

* * *

 _8:35 pm Daily Bugle meeting room, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

The next day, John had big plans on what the Bugle was going to publish. The meeting was in session minus Ned Leeds and Peter himself.

"Where are those boys today?" John asked.

"Ned called in sick apparently. Peter has no word." Betty answered.

"What is going on with Parker? Missing out on all this." John said, "Anyway, big announcement. Everyone knows about the freak attack at the F.E.A.S.T. centre in Queens right? From last night?"

Everyone in the room nodded taking down notes.

"Good. And let's also note one thing. No Spider-Man." John said, "See? This makes the whole 'Man-Spider' thing more plausible."

"Man-Spider?" One reporter asked.

"Yeah, that's one name I'm changing." John said, "See Robbie?"

Robbie wanted to roll his eyes again but felt more inclined to agree with John.

Meanwhile, Frederick picked up his phone after it buzzed.

"What are you doing, Foswell?" John asked.

"I've just got news regarding Spider-Man." Frederick answered.

"Huh?" John asked confused.

To John's surprise, Frederick showed a screenshot of Spider-Man being held beaten by Tombstone. It was also a Daily Globe article, titled 'SPIDER-MAN HITS THE GRAVE'.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: I like to think that Tombstone in this iteration has inspiration from 'The Warriors' as well as bit of Fight Club in him with the way he sets up fights.**


	19. The Truth Shall Set You Free

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 19)

 _8:35 am Stacy residence…_

"Citizens are mourning the loss of 2 people at yesterday night's attack on the Forest Hills Town Hall. An 87-year-old man named Eugene Diaz and a 37-year-old woman named Carmen Hartland…", A news lady said on screen.

George carefully watched the news report on the TV while scribbling down notes for the investigation. As soon as he heard footsteps from the staircase, George muted the television as soon as Gwen came into the kitchen.

"Morning, dad…" Gwen said still in her pyjamas.

"Morning, sweetheart." George said while sipping up a bit of black tea.

"You seem busy now." Gwen said as she walked up and opened the pantry.

"I sure am, because last night was a heavy hitter." George replied tapping his pencil.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked as she looked for the box of cereal.

"The town hall incident from yesterday. The authorities have reported that Chinese triad members were responsible for the attack." George said, "And that's a huge concern for us living at Forest Hills. It's not even the first time the place was attacked if you remember the stuff with Hammerhead and Chameleon."

"That's awful. What exactly is happening, dad?" Gwen asked again.

"I don't know. Have you heard that Wilson Fisk wants to renovate the F.E.A.S.T. headquarters at Queens as part of his electoral scheme? He's lucky that another demolition crew got to it first though." George said.

"I'm not into politics, dad." Gwen said sitting down on the table with her cereal box and bowl.

"Well, it's not about that. It's a matter of safety. Fisk's numero uno plan is basically to stomp out crime. Sounds too good to be true on his end." George said, "I just don't like the guy."

"Dad?" Gwen asked sensing how frustrated George is.

"Nothing." George smiled, "Point is…You should be careful around the neighbourhood. I don't know the truth about this attack and I don't know how bad things are. I gotta go at 10 to meet with local authorities anyway so… Got anything else?"

"Nothing really." Gwen sheepishly replied, "Guess I'll think of the future."

As Gwen silently ate her breakfast, George soon began talking again.

"Oh yes… Mrs. Porker just messaged me as well." George notified.

"Mrs. Porker? Who the heck is that?" Gwen asked.

"She's the guardian of your boyfriend, right? The brown-haired young man?" George asked, "Or is he your ex now?"

"Dad, you mean Peter Parker, right? What about him now?" Gwen asked again.

"Shoot, honest mistake." George said with a little laugh, "Yeah. She told me that her nephew hasn't come home last night. As in he's missing."

"Could it be he's hanging out with friends and that he forgot to message her?" Gwen asked.

"Well, she sounds concerned. And a woman of her age might not handle losses like this very well." George said, "You don't perhaps know a thing about how he's doing right?"

"No, I haven't talked to him after I said, 'we're done'." Gwen said.

"Well, help me out then. The last thing we need is a report of a local boy gone missing." George said.

Even though, Gwen was not with Peter anymore. A part of her was concerned about his wellbeing.

"Is Peter having a mental breakdown now?" Gwen wondered thinking their relationship strain might have affected him, "Peter… What are you hiding from me?"

* * *

 _8:47 am Fisk's penthouse, Queens…_

Meanwhile on the other side of town not far from the Stacy residence was Wilson's penthouse. Today marks the day in which Wilson practices for his speeches in an attempt to win over the trust of Queens. Wilson was still tucked in his bedsheets next to his wife pondering on ideas.

"Feeling nervous today, honey?" Vanessa asked as she rolled over.

"As long as you're with me, I am ready for any challenge." Wilson said turning around and smiling before holding her face against his.

"I think we should get up now." Vanessa said.

Wilson nodded as the two went to get dressed. Wilson picked the best black business suit and did the buttoning by himself. He did some things by himself after all despite beliefs that he had servants helping him.

"You look… Mesmerising, dear." Wilson said when he turned around to see Vanessa in a red dress.

"I'm not sure if red is a colour, you're comfortable with." Vanessa said examining the dress.

"No, no… It's absolutely fine." Wilson said, "You always do your best to look good, right?"

Vanessa giggled at Wilson's awkwardness before kissing him on the cheek.

"I'll see you tonight. And… Good luck for tomorrow." Vanessa said as she walked out of the bedroom.

Wilson nodded before his phone rang.

"Boss? Are you up yet?" James Wesley asked on the phone.

"I'm awake now, Wesley. What is it?" Wilson asked.

"Mr. Lincoln wants some words with you." Wesley replied.

"Scramble the line then. I know he wants to share some things." Wilson said.

The phone line then changed into a different number.

"Hey, Wilson. My man… You finished laying with your wife this morning?" Tombstone greeted with an innuendo.

"Shut your mouth. I know about last night. And I'm talking about you and the Spider-Man." Wilson said holding the phone to his ear.

"Ain't that the truth. The little weed came to my place yesterday to knock some sense into me. In relation to you. But he ain't worth squat. I'm telling you; I swear I broke both of his legs yesterday." Tombstone boasted.

"Do you have a body bag following this?" Wilson asked.

"Body bag? Ugh, you don't keep victims lying in front of me. I toss them out right afterwards." Tombstone said.

"How do you if he's actually dead then if you don't have a body?" Wilson questioned.

"I have photos. Real non photo-shopped pictures. They're cleanly plastered onto news programs, the Bugle and more. Now I'm the rock star." Tombstone said.

"You imbecile!" Wilson shouted.

"I'm all good, thank you. I took care of a problem for you. Maybe you could pay me in advance after this?" Tombstone said, "I can also help with your promotion for tomorrow."

"I would be happier if there's more concrete proof of your victory. For now, you are just a boastful thug." Wilson said.

"Tsk. Take care of your own problems then. That Spider boy was your thing to begin with. Especially after all the dirty- "Tombstone said before Wilson cut off the line in frustration.

Wilson tried to keep his temper under control as well as his pride in check. He then decided if he wanted breakfast first or to practice his speech right now.

"I think I'll eat more for lunch today." Wilson said.

* * *

 _11:30 am Flushing Meadows-Corona Park…_

Gwen sat close to the Unisphere and watched the streams of water sprout out near the stainless-steel Earth structure. She thought about the things that worried her most. Her internship and studies at Empire State University were jeopardised ever since Anton Rodriquez had gone missing.

Now it was Peter Parker who is out of her life. The one person she liked bonding with and the guilt of breaking up with him put a huge burden on her. Worse, her strange spider-like powers she had tried to suppress are a complicated matter she could not bring herself to share with anyone.

"My days are so crap now." Gwen said as she sat worried.

As she sat in front of the Unisphere, she thought about what she could do next. The first thing that came to mind was Peter's recent absence. She was going to try compile a list of people close to Peter that would have an idea on where he has gone. Typing up the list on her phone, Gwen looked at the list of people she believed were good suspects.

-May (First one to notify Peter as missing)

-Flash (An absolute jerk)

-Liz (Could Peter be seeing her?)

-Ned (His best friend)

-Bugle people (Place where Peter works)

"Oh, I know." Gwen said staring at 'Ned' on her screen.

Ned was the reason they split up and if he had something to do with Peter's disappearance, she was happy to make him squeal even if he was his best friend.

* * *

 _6:34 pm Leeds residence…_

That evening, Gwen wore a black hoodie over her head as she perched on the treetop and waited for Ned to come home. She also had a black mask with two open eye sockets on her and patiently watched for Ned to arrive.

As soon as Ned came hobbling forward looking tired from work, Gwen jumped the chance to snatch Ned up causing him to drop his bag with the camera inside.

"Oh my god… Please, I don't know who Spider-Man is!" Ned cried in fear as a messy string of web tangled him up.

As Ned was pulled by Gwen upwards, she held him face close to her until she pulled off the mask.

"Where's Peter, Ned?" Gwen asked.

"Gwen, is that you? Phew… Listen, I've been asking that question myself." Ned answered.

Gwen then pulled him upwards and hung him by the tree branch before asking him again.

"You broke my relationship with him. And you know things I don't." Gwen said.

"Are you angry with me? I would never hurt Peter. You know that." Ned protested.

"Sure." Gwen answered, "Anyway, why did you cry out Spider-Man's name then?"

"I'm going through a lot, Gwen. I'm paranoid every day." Ned said.

"So am I." Gwen said, "Now answer my question. Or I'll hand you over to the wolf pack that's chasing you."

Ned slowly tried to suppress his whimpering before giving out an answer.

"I work with Spider-Man. I work with him to fight crime. It's why there's bad people after me now." Ned said.

"My dad also works with him. What's so special about you?" Gwen sharply asked.

"Well… You see…" Ned said.

"Spill it out!" Gwen demanded.

"Spider-Man is Peter Parker! Peter Parker is Spider-Man!" Ned said while being concerned that people heard him.

Gwen then let go of the web and let Ned land with a thud onto the grassy kerb.

"What?" Gwen asked.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: Just so we are clear, this isn't Gwen being evil or anything. She's been given a lot baggage and needs to learn a couple of things like Peter does.**


	20. Framing A Spider

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 20)

 **Note: J.J. Abrams is doing a new Spider-Man comic with his son and I'm not sure what to think yet.**

 _6:46 pm Leeds residence…_

After the abrupt confession, Ned had no choice but to let Gwen into the operation he and Peter had established in the past. After talking with his mother, he led Gwen down to the basement in the front yard where he and Peter worked together.

"I'd thought this place would look fancier." Gwen commented as she took the steps into the place.

"Well, we're not billionaires alright. We're dumpster divers." Ned replied.

Gwen shook her head as she looked around the place.

"Why exactly would you and Peter keep this a secret from me?" Gwen asked.

"Because… I'm his best friend and he trusts me. And hero code dictates that loved ones can't be in danger." Ned replied.

"Seriously? That's such a contradictory excuse." Gwen pointed out.

"Well…Uh, whatever. Anyway, welcome to our base of operations." Ned sheepishly said.

Gwen took her time to look around the place. Other than old furniture as well as some pop culture posters; there was most notably a work desk with sketches drawn on paper. Gwen looked at it and saw that they were design ideas for webslingers; suits and other gadgets.

"Oh shoot…" Ned said trying to put away the design sketches.

"There's nothing worth hiding now, Ned." Gwen stated.

"Uh…It's more that I don't want bad people storming my house and finding stuff like this." Ned answered.

"What kind of bad people? Is it a supervillain or what?" Gwen asked.

"Maybe. Right now, It's just crooked cops and stuff." Ned said.

"Crooked? So, you got a bounty on yourself?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah… One of my work colleagues is an informant to one of New York's worst crime bosses." Ned said.

"All because you work with Spider-Man…" Gwen said.

"Exactly! Thank god, it was you with the powers that I ran into." Ned said.

"I could have easily hurt you, Ned. Let's not forget." Gwen said reminding Ned why she came to him in the first place.

"Yeah…It's too much for me now. Peter is MIA and I'm more vulnerable than ever." Ned said, "I hope he was just beat up badly."

Gwen then saw how sad Ned looked as if he felt guilty that he led his own friend into a downfall. Seeing that genuine sign of friendship also made her reconsider how harsh she was against him.

"I haven't seen you in a while. You've changed a lot since high school, personality wise." Ned said.

"Care to elaborate?" Gwen asked.

"I mean you used to be a shy girl who'd watch Peter every time in class. And you were kind of…No offence, living under Mary Jane's shadow at that time." Ned described, "That's what people say about you at least. Now you're sharp-tongued and deadpanned."

"I'm always the same, Ned. You know Peter shared stories to me that you get queasy with this one girl at work." Gwen teased referring to Betty Brant.

"Ack! Okay, you know what? Enough. We've got other things to talk about." Ned said attempting to change to the subject.

Ned then opened up a chest that revealed a lot more of the things he and Peter were working on. There was old articles about previous Spider-Man endeavours that talk about encounters with different villains. More importantly, there were prototype gadgets as well as Peter's old homemade suit left in Ned's possession.

"This whole bloody time…" Gwen said picking up an article that depicted Spider-Man facing off against the Shocker.

Ned picked up a pair of webslingers out of the chest and handed to Gwen.

"What's this?" Gwen asked.

"Strap them around your wrist." Ned replied, "Then press the buttons on them."

Gwen did as Ned instructed and slipped the webslingers on.

"They fit surprisingly well." Ned noted as he blinked his eyes twice as Gwen put them on.

Afterwards, Gwen pressed the strap-on button on one of her webslingers and shot a straight line of web in the corner.

"Hey, careful!" Ned shouted as he watched Gwen play around with them.

"Nice. These should… Help stop the random webby things coming out of my wrists." Gwen commented feeling the pressure of the webslingers strapped on.

"Glad it helps." Ned said accepting the scenario of Gwen trying on the webslingers.

"So, I guess I can swing around with these properly with these on." Gwen said.

"If you can do it." Ned said, "Um… Since you have the spider powers now, you mind helping me out with something?"

"Okay, what?" Gwen asked.

"I'm going to the Wilson Fisk speech event at the Flushing Town Hall tomorrow to take pictures as requested by my boss, J. Jonah Jameson." Ned said, "But I need you to help me."

"What time?" Gwen asked again thinking that Ned is talking about people trying to assassinate him.

"9:30 am-ish. Just be there in costume and webslingers." Ned said, "This Wilson Fisk guy by the way is the crime boss trying to get other people to kill me. Namely my supervisor."

"Dad always told me about Fisk and how fishy he is as a human being." Gwen said, "I'll see what I can do."

"Be on the rooftops and out of sight." Ned advised.

"Cool." Gwen nodded, "Before I decide to go home; do you need me around to protect you?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm cautious." Ned assured her.

"Um, alright. Good night then, Ned Leeds." Gwen said as she prepared to leave.

"Oh, I need to say something else." Ned added.

"Assuming Peter is okay, if he finds out I told you, could you tell him that I'm sorry?" Ned asked.

"I will handle him." Gwen stated in response.

* * *

 _9:31 am Flushing Town Hall…_

The press and crowds huddled in front of a metal gate in front of the town hall entrance waiting for Wilson to come outside. The number of people there all were symbolic of the idea that Wilson has captured the trust of the people he supposedly looks out for.

Ned arrived onto the scene jogging with his camera in hand and was surprised to see John and Frederick waving and waiting for him among the people.

"Leeds, you're a minute gone wrong." John scolded.

"Sorry… It hasn't started yet, right?" Ned asked.

Frederick eyed Ned a little before turning his eye away from John and Ned whispering something in secret with his fingertips pressed on his ear. Ned gulped as he anticipated the problems that were going to happen.

Meanwhile Gwen arrived on scene perched on top of a building and watching from afar. She saw Ned as well as J. Jonah Jameson at the scene. Her new powers have also given her a heightened sense of vision seeing things from afar.

"About as cartoony looking as I expected." Gwen commented on John before looking around more.

Soon, Wilson came outside wearing a white suit and purple shirt. Accompanying him was wife, Vanessa adopting a magenta dress. The press then started clicking their cameras; while the crowds went wild in support. The guards and police on the other hand were stern and acted out their job. John then nudged Ned to start taking photos as well.

"The weather sure is nice today." Wilson started, "And it is also nice to see the amount of people who've turned up for this day. It is important for all of you just as it is for me…"

Once Wilson continued talking through the microphone; Ned noticed Frederick starting to walk away with his pen and notepad in hand. Nervous; he also decided to move around a little before John stopped him.

"Leeds, where the hell are you going?" John asked.

"To get a better picture." Ned replied.

"No…Stay where you are. This is the perfect angle." John ordered causing Ned to stress out more in fear.

Gwen still watched from afar and all she was hearing was the voice of Wilson delivering on his promises.

"The recent incident at Forest Hills is a tragic reminder of the vulnerable state crime is trying to overtake. Criminals are going rampant and taking control of what's not theirs…" Wilson spoke trying to stir up the crowd.

"Ned… What the hell am I doing wasting my time?" Gwen asked into the communicator in her ear.

"You're doing bodyguard duty, remember?" Ned spoke back.

"I'm not seeing anything." Gwen stated.

"Have you tried your sixth sense thingy yet?" Ned asked.

"What?" Gwen questioned.

"The tingle feeling when there's danger and stuff. Spider-Man had the ability to sense forthcoming danger." Ned said.

Gwen then realised what Ned was talking about and tried tapping into it.

Meanwhile, John yelled at Ned again.

"Leeds, what's with the mumble crap you're saying?" John asked, "And did I hear you say, 'Spider-Man'?"

Just as Wilson mentioned Spider-Man in his own speech, Ned made up his excuse.

"Oh, I have my thoughts regarding Fisk's stance on Spider-Man." Ned said.

"Well shut up and take those photos first." John barked.

Just as that was happening, Gwen moved around a little trying to master her sense. Eventually the tingle sensation alerted her to something. She heard someone coming near her the stairs below the building causing her to hide.

The rooftop door opened and a man in a bulletproof vest with a sniper rifle arrived on scene. Gwen realised that the man may be an assassin trying to get rid of Ned. Her assumption was corrected when the man tried pointing the rifle at Ned.

In response, Gwen shot out a string of web from her wrists prompting the man to turn around as she tugged at the weapon. The man tried fighting back against her as she tried subduing him. Gwen found herself tackled to the ground as the man pinned her down with the rifle before reaching for something else.

Luckily thanks to Gwen's super strength, she kicked the man off as he held out a handgun and fired. The sound of the gun echoed and caught the attention of some people watching Wilson's speech. Wilson also took notice as well.

Gwen dodged the bullet thanks to her senses and delivered a swift kick onto the man's face knocking him down. As the man tried getting up, Gwen put him with a punch to the face. After the deed was done, Gwen noticed the press turn their cameras to her with police getting prepared to face her.

"God damn it." Gwen said before fleeing the scene.

As this was happening, John requested Ned to take a photo of the costumed Gwen.

"Quick, take the shot up there." John said.

As he ordered Ned; he then looked around for Frederick.

"Where the hell is Foswell now? I've got a new headline he can write about; 'Fisk Speech Gone Wrong'."

* * *

 _10:00 am Local carpark…_

After the day was cut short, Wilson hurried his wife back to the car.

"It's just like I said, Vanessa. A lot of things are wrong with this borough." Wilson said.

As they arrived at their getaway vehicle, Wilson looked up to see Frederick waiting.

Wilson made Vanessa wait inside the car before confronting Frederick.

"You've failed me." Wilson said.

"I did not expect this to go the way it went." Frederick commented.

Wilson clenched his fists before looking at his wife who was watching his actions.

"Tell me, who exactly has sent an assassin on this day?" Wilson asked.

"With all due respects, Mr. Fisk. It wasn't easy. Besides, I instructed the man to use toxin darts from the rifle since bullets cause more chaos." Frederick confidently spoke.

"You've cost me the trust of people out there!" Wilson accused.

"You're wrong. In fact, you need me to run headlines in your favour. And I've done so much arranging things." Frederick said, "I can take care of the situation."

"Arranging things is more Wesley's speciality. You are more expendable to me since your incompetence to take out Mr. Leeds in the first place." Wilson said.

"So far, I've pushed him for a good while and second of all, Mr. Lincoln had already taken care of Spider-Man as we speak." Frederick reminded.

Wilson stopped talking and thought carefully about his next words.

"I need to crush anyone acting like a hero. By letting them destroy themselves. After all, it's only fair…" Wilson said.

"I can make amends." Frederick promised, "Let's hope the election goes well first. Then you can have more to play around with."

After Wilson walked back into the car with a bored Vanessa waiting, he looked at his phone and saw an unknown voicemail on it. He looked at Vanessa before pressing the play button.

"Wilson Fisk…I've heard a great deal about you and your vision for Queens. I'm here to ask you about a certain possession that you are keeping in that funded prison of yours. That spider creature you know. I'll meet you at your new house to discuss this more." The voicemail said.

* * *

 _A junkyard elsewhere…_

Peter was lying on a flat broken bed; his eyes opened up to see a whole heap of junkyard scrap around him. He then realised his mask was off but his Spider-Man costume was still on. Weary and tired, he looked around to get a sense of where he was.

"You okay there, dude?" A voice asked.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: This is the first foray into Gwen as a superhero.**


	21. Trouble Brews

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 21)

 _Local café at Forest Hills 11:05 am…_

Gwen in her civilian costume rang up Ned in frustration over what had happened as of recent from stopping the sniper from attacking Ned at the Wilson Fisk's election speech.

"Hey, asshole…" Gwen greeted in the most monotone voice ever.

"Hey, this isn't a good time to chat about this." Ned said back.

"Sure… But I'm telling you. What I went through… Was unpleasant." Gwen said, "Worse… I feel as if I'm under huge scrutiny now as well."

"Look, I'm sorry about this. I swear. But you did your job at least." Ned replied, "Don't worry, I'll fix this."

"You better. And you know what? I'm going to do some things on my own terms now. So, see ya." Gwen said before switching off the phone.

Putting her head in stress, Gwen waited for her long-shot coffee order and pondered what she was going to do next.

"Maybe just forget about the freaky powers and focus on acting like a normal human being." Gwen thought, "I don't need them to find out what happened to Peter, right?"

"Long-shot, mam?" The waitress asked putting the cup down.

"Thanks." Gwen mumbled.

As Gwen tried to take a sip out of her cup, she was distracted by the television.

"And now for a breaking news update…" The broadcast spoke on the screen.

Gwen watched as the news update was shown.

"Wilson Fisk's election at Flushing Town Hall was almost intercepted by a potential sniper attack from afar. The unknown assassin who presumably attempted the assassination wore black clothing concealing the identity. The person was stopped by one of Fisk's own security crew…." The broadcast reported.

"Really? That's how they report this?" Gwen asked as she watched in disbelief.

The broadcast then made her realise that further attempts at being vigilante would be risky and that she should lay low. Gwen then got up and attempted to leave the café before stopping to look at a stack of Daily Bugle newspaper articles.

"That would be $1, mam." The waitress who served her said as Gwen attempted to pick one up.

"Oh, it's charged?" Gwen asked half-surprised before deciding to spend a bit of extra money.

As she walked out, she stared at the big headline of the newspaper, 'MISSING BUGLE EMPLOYEE AND I BLAME SPIDER-MAN'.

* * *

 _12:02 pm Daily Bugle meeting room, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

Today, John made every employee at Bugle bring their lunch to the meeting room where they talk about their work plans daily.

"You all know why we're eating in this room today." John said, "I was nearly a casualty in one big assassination attempt!"

"It wasn't targeted at you, though." Robbie said bluntly.

"Of course, I don't pay anyone if I'm dead." John half-heartedly joked, "I already know that there are people out there who hate Wilson Fisk. But I think whoever tried to kill him feels familiar."

"Oh shit, here we go again…" Ned said.

"Hush!" John snapped before going about into his thoughts, "From what I saw, it looks as if some other lunatic trying to copy Spider-Man has risen up. I'm telling you that masked menace brings the worst out of people!"

"Jonah, take a pill." Robbie said.

"I can't, Robbie. The only cure for this is always open my heart on things!" John said before facing the whiteboard.

"Leeds, tell me you still have those pictures." John requested.

"I have them." Ned said.

"Good. Foswell needs all the evidence he can bring in for that slam-dunk of an article he's writing." John said.

Frederick looked at Ned briefly before facing John.

"Maybe it's a good idea for me to get Fisk's opinion on what he believes instead of the assumptions we're making." Frederick said.

"Sure but…" John said before realising, "Brilliant. I'm proud to have you, Foswell. You're the one person in this team I can count on who can get close to people I otherwise can't."

"Alright, take your food elsewhere! And Leeds… Stay with me for a moment." John said.

As everyone left the room, Ned thought he was going to be criticised more from John about his poor photography skills.

"Leeds. Look. This is about your friend, Peter." John said, "I just want to share my sentiments about him if anything is legitimately wrong."

Ned was taken in by the empathy displayed by John as he thought that he was reminded that despite his crankiness, John is caring towards the people close to him.

"Thanks, Mr. Jameson. That means a lot." Ned nodded.

"I'll tell you this…Me and the rest of the Bugle. We're not giving up on him and forgetting him like he's nothing. He's a good boy and…" John then stopped talking before going into deep thought.

"What is it?" Ned asked.

"I'm thinking…Maybe I should sort this out with the lady who looks after him." John said thinking about the grief Peter's aunt might be going through.

* * *

 _6:05 pm Fisk penthouse…_

That night, Wilson and Vanessa returned to the penthouse that they bought.

"I don't know about this house, Wilson." Vanessa said concerned.

"I do and I won't let them stop me…Stop us." Wilson said as the car parked in front of the house.

As soon as the car stopped, Wilson paid the chauffer and escorted Vanessa out of the vehicle. He unlocked the door to this house where there was nothing but dead silence and darkness. Wilson then turned on the lights before walking to the living room.

To his shock, Wilson found a sleeping Miller Warren on the couch with his shoes on the furniture. Miller slowly woke up before Wilson furiously grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

"Who are you?!" Wilson asked.

Miller who had woken up completely from Wilson's anger began to slowly speak out his words.

"Finally, I was waiting to speak to you." Miller answered.

"Waiting? What kind of a person are you to slip into my house undetected? Where was the security in this house?" Wilson asked.

"They're fine. I just did some things with a little bit of restraint." Miller said, "Let me go and I'll show you."

Wilson let Miller go and watched as he stumbled his way to the good pantry door. Opening the door up, a bound and tied up security man fell out astounding Wilson and Vanessa.

"He tried to keep me out but I had to insist I stay in." Miller explained.

"And you did this?" Vanessa asked.

"What can I say? Are you impressed, Mr. Fisk?" Miller asked.

"Just tell me what it is you want?" Wilson questioned.

"Well it's something that you may want yourself." Miller said with a smile, "I want you to have someone who can help you with the spider dilemma you are facing."

"If you are referring to Spider-Man then he's already taken care of as we speak." Wilson replied.

"Oh no…I meant the grotesque spider creature you keep at the Raft." Miller said referring to Man-Spider.

"What about it?" Wilson asked.

"I know how to study it. I'm the one responsible for its creation." Miller explained.

"You created it?" Wilson asked with curiosity giving him pause.

"Yes. I'm Professor Miller Warren. By the way." Miller introduced.

"Whatever proposal you are offering, I'm declining." Wilson said looking at Vanessa in concern behind him, "You are going to have to leave."

"Leave? I need to explain first." Miller said.

"You won't need to explain anything to me. You came into my house uninvited." Wilson said before attempting to drag Miller away.

"I sent that voicemail to you!" Miller said as he tried to struggle against the tight grip of Wilson's hand.

"I need this chance please!" Miller pleaded as Wilson dragged him to the front door.

Vanessa watched as Wilson dragged Miller by the neck and continued watching Wilson drag him until he furiously threw Miller out of the front gate once it was opened. Wilson then returned back indoors and looked at Vanessa.

"It's alright, Vanessa." Wilson said, "We're going to be safe."

Meanwhile the force from Wilson's throw broke Miller's glasses. Miller laid helplessly on the ground and looked at his glasses. Inside him, his heart started beating and a consciousness in his mind began to snap. As this happened, droplets of rain began to hit the ground as well as a thunderstorm brewed.

* * *

 _7:30 pm Stacy residence…_

The Stacy family were all together on one big dining table eating their food silently in hindsight to the rain that was happening outside. That was until George started talking.

"Believe me, this storm is going keep us together." George said before talking to Simon next.

"How's school today?" George asked.

"Meh… Except that time in PE when Brandon got hit by a ball during dodgeball." Simon replied.

"Ah, so that bully you say finally got a bit of comeuppance." George said.

"I didn't throw the ball." Simon replied again.

"Ah, that's too bad. Hey, um… Gwen. You okay there?" George asked as he noticed playing Gwen with her food.

"Oh, I'm okay." Gwen said, "I'm considering Columbia University by the way."

"Oh, that's nice to hear. I'm noticing that you're looking down a lot of the times." George said.

"It's not depression, dad. I promise you…" Gwen assured, "I'm in deep thought."

"Okay then…" George answered before giving his wife, Helen a smile.

After a few more rounds of eating, George started talking again.

"My case that I'm working on has gotten a big update." George said.

"Oh really, George?" Helen asked.

"Yeah… It's more connected to Wilson Fisk's big election by the way." George said, "I'm correlating the attacks at F.E.A.S.T. with the recent assassination attempt made on him."

Gwen's heart paused as she began listening in on her dad's words.

"You see…I think there's a hidden cult around here that's building its way up. I think there's a hate group for Fisk out there. After all, Fisk's ideology is…" George attempted to explain.

"Alright, George. Let's not talk politics here. The kids and I are quite bored about it." Helen said.

"Oh no, it's just some things have got me thinking." George said, "And our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man hasn't been around lately."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	22. The Jackal Arises

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 22)

 **Note: It's been quite a while since I wrote a chapter; so, forgive me if there are some inconsistencies that happen during the story.**

 _9:35 am Astoria police station…_

It's been a couple of days since Peter Parker had gone missing. May Parker had spent most of her shifts during work crying about the absence of her nephew. The news also spread to some people like Flash and Liz; who knew Peter close during the high school days. Even a big personality such as J. Jonah Jameson was feeling sorry.

For Gwen; she had a lot of baggage falling onto her. She never had the chance to fix her relationship with Peter. But now she understands why he was dismissive at times; Peter was Spider-Man. A hero whose name was soon to be urban legend if he does not return.

After she had gained similar powers like Peter; her life had been split apart even further. Ever since; she had stopped an assassination attempt on Ned Leeds; Wilson Fisk had used his power to spin this as an assassination attempt on him by her. This in turn was enough to make her lay low for now.

Over time, Gwen attempted to solve the mystery of Peter's disappearance as a normal self. She drew connections to stories of the different heroics Spider-Man had done in the past. Stories such as facing off against the Shocker to recent stories such as that of Electro.

After reading through all the news articles; she wanted to go back out there and face off against Tombstone. However, the risk may not be worth it at this time given that Gwen was not ready. Instead, she took the slow approach in handling things. Today, Gwen paid a visit to a local police station and found herself confronting lieutenant Yuri Watanabe in her office.

"Sorry mam…I don't have much to say. I can't help you." Yuri said sitting behind her desk with a blank expression.

"So, nothing suspicious happened around here?" Gwen asked.

"Why are you here asking these questions?" Yuri asked back.

Gwen then took her time to think of a good answer before responding.

"My ex-boyfriend was a photographer at the Bugle; are you sure a guy named Peter Parker didn't come by here?" Gwen asked.

"No. We didn't have any people from the news drop by." Yuri answered, "Are you journalist yourself?"

"This person was close to me, miss. What about the time when equipment from Oscorp was taken from here?" Gwen asked.

Yuri then looked at Gwen with a bit of a surprised look before questioning.

"Excuse me?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah, I heard that a bunch of guys from the FBI came here and took stuff that was in this place's possession." Gwen said.

"As far as I'm concerned; it's nothing suspicious. The FBI are a higher level than us." Yuri said, "Go home, alright? I can't help you."

"You know my dad used to be the police captain at Forest Hills." Gwen replied back.

Yuri moved her lip a little before deciding to give an answer to make Gwen leave.

"You know what? I'll look into your case just so I can have some time to think and go over this. And of course, I need you to leave." Yuri said hoping to appease Gwen.

"Okay, I'll take those words to heart then. I can tell you're impatient." Gwen said.

After exchanging phone numbers and other contact details, Gwen finally left the precinct.

As she left, the Astoria police captain watched her before heading into Yuri's office to question her.

"Are we okay here, lieutenant?" The captain asked walking in.

"It's fine, captain." Yuri said.

"We better hope so or we're in trouble." The captain retorted, "Just know there's new confidential policies we need to follow."

As the captain left, Yuri scoffed.

"Confidential policies?" Yuri wondered.

* * *

 _9:45 am Hobie Brown's apartment room…_

Meanwhile on another side of New York, Peter woke up to smell of waffles and eggs as he lifted himself up on the couch. Touching his forehead, Peter felt the pain from his scuffle with Tombstone leave him slowly. He was fortunate to have been looked after by the person who had found him in the landfill zone.

"Peter, my man. You rest well?" A voice asked.

Peter saw the man who had saved him enter the living room. The man's name was Hobie Brown; Hobie being short for Hobart. He was an average 20-year oldish man of African American appearance who worked a part-time job cleaning the streets and a local shopping centre nearby. He and his partner, Mindy McPherson lived together in an apartment block that needed repair.

The place was continuously run down by an inadequate water system, lack of electricity as well as the paint on the walls starting to wear off. Yet for all their misfortune, the two were kind enough to let Peter hang around and they also stuck together as tight as possible.

Since the day he was saved, the smell of trash has yet to roll off of him but that was due to the apartment having a rather broken shower. While he was still in the presence of strangers; he was grateful to be with good people.

"Got your food ready." Mindy said coming with her curled hair and green shirt holding a plate of waffles with poached eggs.

"Thank you." Peter said taking the plate and playing around with the food for a little.

"You're looking a lot better every day." Mindy commented noting that the cuts and bruises on Peter healed fast.

"Are you some kind of mutant?" Hobie asked.

"Mutant? To be honest, I don't know." Peter replied, "Maybe not…Since I wasn't born with it."

Hobie and Mindy looked at each other with funny expressions before Peter asked them a question.

"How's my suit?" Peter asked looking at the two.

"Don't worry, it's still there. Trying my best to fix it." Hobie replied.

Peter put down the food and marched to the bedroom so he check on his suit's status under Hobie's watch. Opening up the draw, Peter had found something to complain.

"Oh my god…Please. Maybe you should stop messing with this." Peter said looking at the strings of red hanging off his suit.

"It's nearly done, I promise." Hobie insisted.

"Actually, I'll fix the rest." Peter replied.

"So what's your plan next?" Hobie wondered.

"I gotta get back out there soon." Peter said.

"You mean go back to fighting that Tombstone guy? Are you kidding?" Hobie asked.

"Not that. I gotta go home and tell people, I'm okay." Peter replied.

"You're welcome to leave anytime." Mindy said.

"I know…I'll be out of your place soon." Peter said, "I gotta adjust this first."

Taking the suit with him, Peter then walked out of the bedroom.

"Man, can you believe how many days we're housing the Spider-Man?" Hobie said to Mindy.

"Hobie baby... You know he has to leave soon." Mindy replied.

"Yeah, but man I want to try on that suit." Hobie said in awe.

"It's probably not even your size." Mindy said shaking her head.

"Hey! Uh… Hobie, do you think the shower can be up and running this time?" Peter asked from afar.

* * *

 _J. Jonah Jameson's office, Daily Bugle 4_ _th_ _floor…_

The Daily Bugle carried on as usual with John running his mouth constantly to keep things in motion. Ever since the botched assassination attempt on Ned Leeds; Frederick had been acting as if he was busier on his reporting which had surprised John as of late.

"John?" Robbie said knocking on the office door.

"Come in, Robbie." John said in a soft voice.

Robbie walked in holding a documented folder in hand and looked at John who had both his hands covering his head.

"The paper regarding mayor Randall's life post-election has its first draft completed. As usual, we need the approval." Robbie informed.

"Just leave the file on my desk." John muttered taking one peek at the folder Robbie had in his hand.

Robbie did as he was told before he checked on the state of John.

"Are you still reeling, Jonah?" Robbie wondered.

"Every bloody day, Rob. And it's not just because of Parker's crying aunt. Apparently, there's some bullshit restriction rumour going about regarding Fisk wanting to control the news operations about what can be published." John said.

"Geeh…First time I heard that." Robbie said, "How bad?"

"It's only a rumour. Worse thing is that the Daily Bugle might be bought out." John said.

"Hold up, this place?" Robbie asked.

"That's right, Robbie. Think about how your job is affected. And mine. We have nothing exciting to publish. Spider-Man's gone, I'm glad. But man…That was our high point. We have no more fun stories." John said thinking that a part of him does miss the web head.

"Foswell is chasing the story on Fisk's mystery killer and he's been too busy. He's making too many excuses as of late. And I don't know what to do with Leeds next either." John said.

"Maybe we need to let Foswell go." Robbie suggested.

"He's one of the top reporters for us. I'm not letting him off the lease just yet." John replied.

"There just happens to be too much of Fisk going on with him as of late, I feel." Robbie said.

"Well, it's his favourite subject to write about." John said finally stretching his arms.

"Yeah…" Robbie said before something clicked in his mind.

"Say, Jonah. You might if I run a bit of an errand for a story?" Robbie requested.

"Say again?" John asked.

"I was hoping to get out there and a little bit of investigation on the Spider-Man disappearance case." Robbie said.

"What's there to uncover?" John asked again.

"I feel like it's time for me to visit Lonnie." Robbie said.

"Slow down there, Robbie! You're not sending yourself to meet that maniac." John raised his voice in response, "Besides, Foswell said he has it covered."

"If he ever gets back, tell him that I'm lending a hand." Robbie said, "I think I can add something special for the Bugle."

"No, no. I'm not risking you out there. I know the story between you two." John said referring to Robbie and Tombstone.

"That's not going to stop me." Robbie assured, "All my years, maybe what the Bugle needs is a little bit of nostalgia. Maybe it needs to take those risks again to make those big stories."

* * *

 _6:45 pm Somewhere around Queens…_

That evening; a young girl and her mother were walking home after playing around near the local playground. The sun had gone pretty quick leaving only the streetlights to illuminate the path. The night was also perfect for the worst people to target whoever they want.

"Hey there, lady. You mind if we talk for a while?" A man with greasy blonde hair asked in the most lecherous tone.

"I don't know who you are. But no." The mother said shielding her daughter as they tried to walk past.

"Oh, hold on there. If no talk, then something we can try something physical?" The man said while two other men approached behind smiling maliciously.

The mother then backed a little as the three men approached; suddenly a yell was heard from behind. Wearing white hoodie over her head and a black veil covering her mouth, Gwen jump kicked one of the men on the back before engaging the other two in a fight.

The mother and her daughter watched as Gwen engaged in some hand to hand combat with the assailants. The daughter's eyes had to be shielded as Gwen kicked and punched her foes managing to score some broken bones. After the fight was over, Gwen kicked the blonde-haired man unconscious before turning her attention to the mother and daughter.

"It's okay, I'm just making sure you're safe …" Gwen's voice said.

"Thank you so much…" The mother said as she hurried along the way.

"Make sure to call 911 as well!" Gwen reminded.

Turning her attention to the unconscious men on the ground, Gwen was a little astonished that she managed to take of them. Although one of them did manage to swipe her with a knife on her hoodie.

"Uh… Holy shit?" Gwen thought, "Nice that I can put up a fight."

As she stared at the unconscious men, Gwen wondered if was worth it for her to actually pick up on being a vigilante finding that she can put up a fight.

"Hmm… Maybe I should be the new 'Spider-Man' on the block." Gwen said.

* * *

 _9:35 pm Fisk penthouse…_

In the past few days, Wilson had been able to move up the political ladder as he scored a major win as mayor of Queens. With this win, Wilson had more power to have people back him as well as gain control of the resources in hand.

Vanessa, his loving wife was proud of him and had been supportive of his persistence to uphold his promise of making Queens and the rest of New York better. Tonight, was a private night in which they can share a private dinner prepared by Wilson's own personal chefs.

"You seem really happy, Wilson." Vanessa said as she sat on the other side of the table.

"These days have seen the best of what I've accomplished so far." Wilson said with a smile.

"And I love seeing you this way." Vanessa responded making Wilson feel bashfully awkward.

"What I'm about to do is going to change many things. The people will be happier." Wilson said feeling carried away from the thoughts.

"Oh looks like the champagne is running low." Vanessa noted looking at the bottle.

"Check the liquor room." Wilson said.

Vanessa then got up to fetch another bottle; however, after a few seconds the lights had shut off.

"What is going on?" Wilson said looking around in the dark.

Soon after that, Vanessa's scream was heard which prompted Wilson to stand up. Using the torch light on his phone, he attempted to investigate the source of the power out. Perhaps Electro was interrupting the night.

As Wilson walked around, the phone in his hand got smacked out by force.

"I hate to do this, Mr. Fisk." A raspy voice spoke.

Turning around to face the mysterious figure, Wilson turned around to see a shadowy silhouette of a beast-like figure stand in the corner. The figure then switched on a flashlight illuminating and revealing its face.

There was green fur covering the entire face. The beast had exaggerated cat-like eyes and a wide toothy smile to complement its creep factor. Long pointed ears were also present. Holding the flashlight in one hand; Wilson saw Vanessa gagged by the beast's other hand. Its claw threatened to carve Vanessa whose eyes were filled with fear.

"I remember the time you threw me out of the house; but now you need to hear me OUT!" The beast snarled.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	23. Putting It Together

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 23)

 _9:45 pm Fisk penthouse…_

Wilson stood his place as he looked at the green-furred creature in its beastly eyes. He clenched his fists as the creature held his wife, Vanessa by the mouth with its claws threatening to scratch her face off.

"We've met in this house before, have we?" The creature hissed.

"Stay calm, Vanessa. I'll negotiate with this being." Wilson promised before continuing his stare down.

The creature bared its teeth out while Vanessa attempted to lower down her fears.

"You… You're that doctor that barged into my premises the other night." Wilson answered.

"Correction; I'm a professor. Doctor of Philosophy in biomedical science; majoring in areas such as regenerative medicine; genetics and biochemistry. But I have more space in my mind for other things." The creature said revealing himself to be Miller.

"I know for a fact… That you are… A smart man." Wilson complimented, "That was the second time you stormed into my premises; bypassing my private security."

"What is these days with people hiring 'men' and 'cameras' to protect them? As if that's enough for protection." Miller joked.

"You want something and you have earned it. Tell me…" Wilson insisted demanding Vanessa to be spared.

With a smile; Miller dropped Vanessa on the floor who attempted to catch her breath after being held hostage. Slowly, Miller began to walk around on all four claws like a wild carnivore and began his circling.

"You're the founder of the Raft; am I right?" Miller asked, "That place holds something of my making."

"I co-funded it; that is all. But I have my rights to enter the place; yes." Wilson acknowledged.

"Then you know that there's a spider humanoid creature in one of its cells." Miller growled.

"Ah, you are correct. He's still healthy and processed for private research." Wilson said remembering the captured Man-Spider.

"Private research, huh? You're trying to understand the secrets of Spider-Man like I am?" Miller asked as he continued to stalk around.

"He was greatest obstacle. A shame; he's apparently out of commission." Wilson said thinking back to how Tombstone dealt with him.

"Yes." Miller said sharing his disappointment; "But I think there are more potential things to uncover."

"You want access to that creature? You got it." Wilson said, "But you'll give me some privileges in return."

"How very kind of you. And I don't mean to interrupt such a lovely night with that beautiful lady." Miller said before giving Vanessa one good look.

"Avert your eyes elsewhere." Wilson warned.

"Apologies; I think I'll come back tomorrow morning so that I can guarantee I can see my creation." Miller said as he prepared to leave.

"Enjoy the evening, Mr. Fisk." Miller said before pouncing away like a cat.

Once Miller had left the building; Wilson looked at Vanessa in concern who was in a bit of a disbelief at what she went through. She was somewhat aware of her husband's shady dealings but it was the motive behind them that she tolerated. However; this was her first actual foray with dealing with freaks of nature.

"Vanessa, it's okay… I won't let this happen again." Wilson explained.

"Save it, Wilson. How about we go to bed now? I'm dead tired." Vanessa said in a monotone voice.

* * *

 _7:30 am Leeds residence…_

There was a knock on the home of Ned Leeds. Ned quickly rushed to the door still in his pyjamas and opened the door. Gwen stood in front of the door wearing a white sweater and blue jeans.

"Hello Gwendolyn…" Ned said with a funny look.

"Hey, Ned. Still sleeping in?" Gwen asked before noticing Ned's cat on the porch.

"Yep. I've been lazy these days." Ned said with a blank expression.

"Well, I'm going to shake things up for you, big boy." Gwen replied.

"Big boy? Whoa? Are you making fun of my weight or are you hitting on me?" Ned asked with a bizarre expression.

"You know my new powers. I'm going to try and embrace them. They're a part of my life now. And if there's a cure; it doesn't exist." Gwen said.

"Um, okay? Would you like to talk elsewhere?" Ned asked.

"Your sister and mum are still sleeping right? And your cat is not going to understand a word out of my mouth." Gwen stated.

"Ugh. Alright… Let's talk." Ned said shaking his head.

In his pyjamas; Ned led Gwen back to the basement to sort things out.

"My supervisor has been busy which is why I haven't got the chance to do much." Ned said, "And JJ kind of in a way fired me because of that."

"Did you at least tell your boss to retract from that news headline that made me look like I tried to assassinate Fisk?" Gwen asked.

"It doesn't matter. Peter does so many heroics that JJ just spins them anyway." Ned said dusting off the sofa.

"Well. Uh, **** JJ then." Gwen replied.

"Geez… I feel like your whole personality has been retconned, Gwen. You used to be that shy but 'hot' girl at school with Mary Jane all the time. Now you're all… Sarcastic; mundane and dare I say…Emo." Ned began to note.

"No, it's me. The 'shy' part was because…" Gwen started.

"Because you were crushing hard on Peter." Ned teased.

"OK, STOP." Gwen said, "I'm here because I'm taking a stance on using my powers for something."

"Well then…" Ned said having his eyes look side by side.

"I'm using my powers to take down the increasing amounts of criminal activity that I think is happening." Gwen stated.

"Rebooting Spider-Man like this is a risk." Ned joked.

"Oh yeah… I'm not taking a red and blue costume by the way." Gwen said.

"But I thought we settled on that costume." Ned said thinking to the black one Gwen wore at Wilson's speech.

"I think it can have a little more touch ups." Gwen said looking at Ned in a way that makes her feel boss-like.

"Whatever you want then, it better work." Ned said, "Costumes aren't just for cool."

"Oh, I have some ideas…" Gwen said.

"I've never really worked on designing a costume before." Ned thought to himself.

* * *

 _10:00 am The Rockdrum, Harlem…_

As promised to John; Robbie walked all the way through Harlem this morning to meet up with his old friend, Lonnie Lincoln who had been responsible for the disappearance for Spider-Man. It was also a chance for Robbie to see if he could reconnect with his estranged son, Randy.

Finding himself in a shady spot of New York; the gangsters that lived here all kept an eye on Robbie as he made his way to the Rockdrum. With a brave heart; Robbie knocked on the door of the privately owned club and was greeted by a thug of Tombstone's gang.

"What's going on, pops?" The man asked opening the small door hatch.

"I'm here to see Lonnie Lincoln." Robbie answered, "I'm an old friend of his."

"He has title you need to address him as. Do you know that?" The man replied.

"Tombstone." Robbie replied sternly.

"Okay…" The man said putting the hatch down before opening.

As the door opened; Robbie was greeted by a mean-looking man in a rock-n-roll shirt and a grizzly beard. He then stepped forward to frisk Robbie of any dangerous items.

"You're all clear." The man said before he allowed Robbie to enter.

Robbie entered the domain of Tombstone. It was one mad man's heaven from all sleazy men who spend their time here flirting with scantily clad women. It was all in character for Lonnie Lincoln, a man who believed he could amass anything for his own private kingdom. Aside from the talk, Robbie wondered if he would bump into his son at any moment.

"I need to see Tombstone." Robbie said as he was greeted by the men leering at him.

"We don't like reporters. What do you nosy snitches want?" One man said.

"I just need to see…" But before Robbie could finish; another voice interrupted.

"Well, well, well. Is that who I think it is?!" The voice asked.

Robbie looked around to see Tombstone standing in a black business suit. His albino skin looking pretty much the same from childhood memory.

"Lonnie." Robbie said as he stood his ground.

Tombstone gave one laugh as he made his way forward.

"Come inside my office if you have something important." Lonnie said putting a hand onto Robbie's shoulder.

Robbie felt the stone-cold touch of Tombstone's palms as he was guided back into the private office. No guards guided them and it was the two of them alone. As they made their way into the office; Tombstone ordered Robbie to take a seat. Robbie did as he was told and sat as Tombstone went to fetch a bottle of scotch whisky.

"Oh no, I'm good." Robbie eyeing the bottle.

"Oh, shoot…" Tombstone said putting the bottle down; "I forgot… You'll get drunk from one sip of this."

Tombstone then put the alcohol back on the shelf before sitting down on his own chair like a king.

"So… Old friend reunion?" Tombstone asked.

"No, I'm here to gather some information." Robbie replied.

"I never expected that." Tombstone said looking at his own fingernails, "Tell me, are you trying to get a story out of me through how I knocked that Spider-Man down. The one your paper company always slanders?"

"You're correct, I'm here for that." Robbie said.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea who wears his mask. Real names don't mean a lot to me usually. I just saw Spider-Man as some god idol which I took down." Tombstone said without a care.

"Okay, so you don't know who you potentially killed?" Robbie questioned.

"I didn't need to know." Tombstone shrugged, "Kingpin however… I bet he wants the name and he wants it bad…"

Tombstone then took a cigarette from the draw and tried to light it up. No matter how much smoking or alcohol he takes; Tombstone just seems immune to the health consequences.

"The only thing that worries me about Spider-Man is… If he actually comes back alive to try kick my ass. Then I'll kill him for sure." Tombstone said, "For now? I bet I broke the man's internal organs."

"That would still count as murder." Robbie replied.

"The police haven't found a body yet, have they? Who knows?" Tombstone shrugged again.

"Well, it seems like Spider-Man came to your place and tried to take out your operations. But in doing so, you broke him apart." Robbie concluded.

"That's the story. Ah, man. I can't believe I told you a bedtime story." Tombstone laughed, "It's funny how reverse that is. Back then, you… Looking after me."

Robbie felt uncomfortable by the joke as if something else was going to happen.

"You want me to let you see your son as well? I'll call him over." Tombstone said before shouting, "RANDY!"

Sooner or later; Randy came rushing into the office with a spiked baseball bat in hand that dripped with blood. Robbie was shocked and feared if his son as of late engaged in brutal violence or even murder.

"What is this?" Randy asked seeing his father.

"Your pops came here to ask me some questions. I just want to see you say 'hi' to him." Tombstone said.

"You know the reason I came to you, I…" Randy stammered before looking at his father's eye.

Tombstone got up from his chair and laughed.

"Oh man, what a sour relationship. Anyway, just because I'm being friendly it doesn't mean other things." Tombstone said.

"Huh?" Robbie asked fearing if his former friend would hurt or kill him.

"Since you came, I am thinking about something that Fisk has that I want an upper hand on." Tombstone explained.

"What will that be?" Robbie wondered.

"Oh, I need an errand boy from the news media to be by my side at will. Fisk already has one from your own company." Tombstone stated.

"Someone from the Bugle?" Robbie asked.

"Oh yeah… You don't think one of your peeps there has a fishy thing going on, don't you?" Tombstone said walking behind Robbie's chair.

Robbie thought hard with his thoughts at first going to Peter Parker then Ned Leeds. Finally, he realised that the answer was Frederick Foswell.

"Foswell… Of course." Robbie realised.

"There you go." Tombstone added, "A high-ranking snitch. Who knows how bad the company is jeopardised with him around?"

Robbie tried to process the information. He looked at his son who was witnessing what was going on. He stared at Tombstone briefly who was goading him at every turn. He then thought what was he going to tell John back at the Bugle.

* * *

 _10:15 am Brown neighbourhood…_

Standing in an alleyway, Peter had fixed up the last stitch on his suit and prepared to wear it. Hobie and Mindy watched Peter slip into the suit as well as the mask being put on.

"Damn, look how cool he looks." Hobie commented.

"It still looks battle worn." Mindy added.

"Alright… I'm not hurting anymore and my suit is back together. All I need to do is swing away." Peter commented as he fit into his suit.

He then looked at the two who cared for him.

"Thank you. You've really saved my skin." Peter said beneath the mask.

As Peter tried to swing away, his webslingers felt as if they were jammed tight.

"Hold on, what's happening?" Peter wondered as he shoot a web out.

Hobie and Mindy closed their eyes a little as Peter continued trying.

"Alright, maybe it's need the classic…" Peter said.

Peter huffed and puffed before looking at the building wall.

"Up, up and away, web." Peter said trying out his classic web shooting pose.

So far, nothing happened and Peter again tried another pose.

"Uh, go web go." Peter cried out in desperation.

Hobie and Mindy continued to watch as Peter tried to shoot a web out.

"Uh, is everything alright?" Hobie asked.

"Sure, I just don't understand why this isn't working." Peter replied.

"I don't know if this is the actual Spider-Man or if this is someone posing as him." Mindy whispered to Hobie.

"Uh, can you at least climb?" Hobie asked.

Peter then tried out Hobie's suggestion and attempted to stick onto the wall. However, there was no surface tension and Peter could not climb up like he normally would.

"I don't believe this." Peter said looking at both his hands, "Have I been hurt so bad that my powers are nullified as well?"

"Uh, listen kid. Maybe this should be a lesson on why you shouldn't play pretend hero." Hobie said.

"Huh? But…" Peter said.

"I don't know. But I don't expect this kind of thing from the Spider-Man I envision." Hobie said noting the failures.

Peter attempted to justify himself again before admitting defeat.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I fooled you guys." Peter said looking at both Hobie and Mindy.

"You know what? I'm going to try and call a cab soon so that you can go home easy." Mindy stated before leaving to go back to the apartment.

Hobie then looked at Peter in the Spider-Man costume again in hopes that he saw the real Spider-Man.

"I wonder… I'm so doubtful now." Hobie said, "Can I ask you something? Who do you think Spider-Man is?"

Peter stared back before giving out a response.

"Spider-Man could be anyone. Anyone who fits the mask." Peter replied.

* * *

 _11:15 am The Raft…_

As a show of goodwill, Miller was led on board to the Raft with Wilson accompanying him. Miller had reverted back to his human form where he was his nerdy and weaselly looking self again. Wilson on the other hand wore a black suit and had a displeased face ever since the act in front of Vanessa. The guards stood their ground as Wilson led Miller around.

"Such an impressive place. All that good money gone into this facility." Miller commented.

"I once said to my friends that I wanted this place to represent something. A place of power." Wilson said back, "That was accomplished."

"And I take it that all of Spider-Man's defeated enemies are locked at specific areas around here, huh?" Miller wondered looking at the infrastructure of the prison.

"Most…Some of them may have been deported elsewhere. Some of them have long been dead. While the rest are caged up." Wilson said.

Miller laughed which Wilson ignored as they continued walking. They reached a room that was designated as a scientific research area. The doors opened quick and Miller was greeted by what he had sought. The Man-Spider trapped in an electrical cage of sorts and muzzled.

"Oh, that is inhumane right there. Does this place not have research ethics?" Miller asked looking a little disgusted.

"Doctor Winkler, there's someone I like you to meet." Wilson said to the scientist monitoring Man-Spider.

Gerhard Winkler turned around and looked at Miller in the eye before extending his hand out.

"Pleased to meet you. Gerhard." Gerhard greeted.

"Miller. Miller Warren." Miller said in return.

"Mr. Fisk told me a little about you." Gerhard said looking through his glasses.

"Hopefully it's about what I do. You see that creature there was created by me." Miller said pointing at Man-Spider.

"So you created him…" Gerhard replied.

"It was unintentional. He was a student of mine, you see. Bright-minded and ambitious. And now look at him." Miller said with a little pity, "His humanity has been stripped away…"

"Pity. Well, mind you. I've been gathering a lot about him. Interesting anatomy to say the least." Gerhard said with a smile.

"Is that so? Well, I'm here. I can provide you some assistance." Miller said back in a friendly manner.

"Maybe that's what I need after all the hard work." Gerhard said.

"Enjoy your hours here, I'll be back soon." Wilson said before walking away.

"Well, Gerry. Show me what you have learnt." Miller said looking at Man-Spider who seemed to have endured plenty of shock torture.

* * *

 _7:30 pm Leeds residence…_

In Ned's bedroom, Ned had dedicated part of his time helping Gwen put together the new costume. Most of his ideas were pushed aside especially when it came to style and aesthetic which Gwen had her say in. It was a little aggravating to say the least.

"Oh my god. I could care less about this." Ned said putting down his phone, "Why does she need my help? She's doing all the work."

After that, there was a tap on the window to which Ned got up from his bed. To his surprise, he saw Gwen in the costume she had planned. The costume to put it to basics had traces of white on top with black covering the bottom.

The mask had hoodie draped over it with the eyepieces having a red outline and web pattern being light blue. Opening the window for her, Gwen greeted Ned.

"Hello Ned. Like this costume?" Gwen asked.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	24. Peter Comes Home

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 24)

 **Note: Happy 2020…**

 _8:35 am The Raft…_

Yesterday, Miller had been inducted by Wilson to work in his scientific division as a deal for him to gain access to Man-Spider and continue his research. Though the deal was made, Wilson had maintained his weariness for the man and the potential danger he could bring.

Dressed in a lab coat; Miller adjusted his glasses and observed Man-Spider who was weak but alive.

"Poor Mr. Rodríguez… It's my fault; isn't it?" Miller said as he looked inside the cage.

Over the past few days; the former Anton Rodríguez had been suffering immensely within his restraints and was kept alive through tube supplementation of nutrients derived from insects since he has the biology of an arachnid.

Miller carefully extracted blood samples out of Man-Spider as he had plans for the DNA. As this was happening; Wilson arrived into the room fuming in anger.

"Ah, Mr. Fisk… Good morning, how are-?" Miller tried to ask before Wilson grabbed him by the collar.

"You are a means to my end." Wilson accused.

"What are you-? Oh yeah…" Miller replied before giving out a confident smirk.

"You think this is funny, huh? I got a call last night that told me that one of chief scientists had been overdosed and found dead in his home!" Wilson yelled.

"Mr. Winkler?" Miller asked referring to Gerhard; "He would be an obstacle to this whole deal."

"And how would that be? He's been useful to my services." Wilson asked.

"I realised how stupid he was in treating one of my subjects; one of my favourite students." Miller said in defence of how Anton was suffering.

"In this prison; criminals earn the rightful judgement they deserve. Especially when we have people such as those who use shock gauntlets to terrorise our neighbourhoods. Or people who wear bug costumes." Wilson spoke.

"Oh, pardon me? You're referring to those customed nutcases like the Beetle or… The Shocker. Oooh." Miller joked around.

"I have no time for puns." Wilson growled as he threw Miller to the ground.

"I'm sorry, you're just overly sensitive." Miller giggled.

Wilson exploded in rage as he bashed Miller as hard as he could. At first; Miller was reacting to the pain strongly until Wilson saw the change on his face where his eyes began to shift into a beast-like state while he saw traces of green on his face. He then dropped Miller and backed a little at the unusual sight.

"Where's that explosive violence gone?" Miller said rubbing his head and noticing his broken glasses; "My glasses… Broken again."

"You will keep your distance from me." Wilson said backing away, "Guards, lock down this area!"

As Wilson backed away; the Raft security guards came in with guns aimed at Miller.

"You'll put down like the animal you are, Mr. Warren." Wilson snarled before leaving and pulling the Raft alarm

As Wilson stepped out of the research room, he began dialling a number to Jackson Brice; one of his close FBI informants who was tasked to take down Spider-Man in the past.

"Well, if it ain't Mr. Fisk. What can I do for ya?" Jack asked through the phone.

"Mr. Brice. I'm urging you to bring every authority on alert for some danger." Wilson requested, "Can you handle it?"

"Danger is the fun part; I'm looking forward to it." Jack answered.

Meanwhile back inside the research room, the guards pointed their guns carefully as Miller remained unphased by their threat.

"Oh, this will be fun." Miller smiled revealing a couple of canine teeth.

* * *

 _8:00 am Daily Bugle Building, 1_ _st_ _floor…_

Early on, Robbie arrived later than usual at the Bugle today since his caught up with Tombstone. Now under pressure from him, Robbie expected himself to take a more treacherous path as he worked with John.

"Robbie, you're later than usual. Is everything okay?" Betty asked at the reception desk.

"You'll be surprised if I tell you that I'm taking on a more journalistic approach from now on." Robbie replied.

"Oh, interesting. What's the first article you're going to write?" Betty wondered.

"Uh-." But before Robbie gave an answer; John's voice made its presence known.

"Robbie. Miss Brant." John said pushing through the glass door.

"Jonah." Robbie answered in acknowledgement.

"It's not usual to see you and Miss Brant chatting up early this morning." John noted.

"Well, same thing for your sudden arrival." Robbie replied.

"Traffic and other crap." John answered dismissively, "Anyway, how was that investigation?"

"It's complicated. There's some things we need to discuss." Robbie said.

"You can tell me now." John said while acknowledging Betty's presence.

"According to my encounter with Lonnie, he claimed that Mr. Foswell has been working a mole in our building." Robbie answered.

"Foswell?! A mole for what?" John questioned.

"A mole for Wilson Fisk. If true, then that might add something weird to his work behaviour as of late. As well as why Mr. Leeds hasn't been showing up that often as well." Robbie explained.

"Is Ned alright?" Betty asked in concern.

"He's fine, Miss Brant. I fired him, I think." John answered.

"You fired him?" Robbie asked in surprise.

"Well yeah… He's slacking off-." John said before Robbie cut him off again.

"Jonah! We've got some situations to clear in our department." Robbie swiftly reminded.

"Ugh, you tell me this and of course; the other things I'm forgetting." John said shaking his head.

Soon, other employees were turning up to the Bugle building which caught them by surprise when they saw their boss standing there.

"Hey, you're all late." John grumbled before motioning them to their positions; "Oh, dear. How many more messes can the Bugle take?"

* * *

 _9:30 am Brown apartment…_

Meanwhile at the Bronx, Hobie had overslept while his girlfriend, Mindy was already out of bed and off to her job.

"Ugh. My head." Hobie groaned as he stretched his arms and got off the bed.

After his routine toothbrush and simple breakfast, Hobie went to check on Peter. He checked the sofa where he let Peter rest on in the past few days and found that there was nothing except the Spider-Man suit.

Picking up the suit, Hobie looked around for where Peter was but found no sign of him. He did find a sticky note attached that read out the following.

'Dear Hobie and Mindy,

Thank you for your hospitality over the past few days. You guys really saved my life.

I feel like I've recovered so I guess I'm good to go. If I stay any longer; I'd just be a nuisance.

Anyway, I have to leave. But I'm gonna leave this present here since I'm not finding any good use for it.

You've proven your worth as real heroes who stood by moral principles instead of the opposite. Take care and I promise it fits you.

Peter.'

"It's mine?" Hobie said picking up the suit before smelling the nasty smell of it.

"Oh yeah, we did find him from a trash heap though." Hobie noted.

* * *

 _10:15 am Juniper Valley Park, Queens…_

With Ned's help, Gwen took the challenge of re-establishing the image of Spider-Man like hero governing the neighbourhood in her new costume. In Ned's view, he was not sure about the white and black costume Gwen had in addition to the feminine touches she put onto it.

"Think I'm ready to kick some ass now?" Gwen asked Ned as he watched Gwen perch from tree to tree.

"I don't know, do I look like a mentor?" Ned said without a care.

Gwen jumped down and began to converse with Ned.

"Still not used to the idea of me, huh?" Gwen asked.

"You clearly can do those acrobatics and stuff. And you have that Spidey-sense to get you out of danger." Ned commented, "I have no words."

"Hm." Gwen said before picking out her phone and finding a text message from her dad.

'You better come home soon.' The message from George read.

"What's dad worried about?" Gwen wondered.

* * *

 _10:05 pm Parker residence…_

Since the day Peter went missing, May had been in the state of mourning. Even with the emotional support from the Stacy family and other friends, it did not fill the void for her. The police investigation had also been sluggish.

She sat lonely in front of the television screen dreaming that the ghosts of Peter and Ben were around to accompany her. Her sleep cycle was also disrupted by the recurring nightmares of criminals gunning down Peter in the same manner as Ben. As she slowly tried to shut her eyes, her attention was alerted when she heard the doorbell ring.

Slowly, she got out of her chair and walked up to the door. Opening it carefully in case it was a thug, she was greeted by a familiar face. A young brown-haired man in a olive green trench coat and standard casual clothing. His hair was messy and a bit of grizzle on his chin was notable.

"Hey, Aunt May." Peter greeted with a bit of sheepish grin.

In disbelief, May took a second to adjust herself before she slowly put her hands on Peter's cheeks.

"Peter? Is that-?" May asked before she grabbed Peter suddenly and hugged him.

May was slowly showing off happy tears as she tried feeling her nephew again.

"It's really me, Aunt May. It's been a rough journey of survival." Peter replied.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	25. Can We Fix This?

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 25)

 _10:15 pm Parker residence..._

Peter sat quietly at the dining table with May seated next to him. After his long bus trip to home, his phone was at 0% battery and he still smelled funny after all the trouble he went through.

"I'm telling you, I got jumped pretty bad taking pictures." Peter explained.

"I'm glad you're safe but it's a miracle you showed up at the door." May said back.

"Well, what else can I say? Wrong place; wrong time." Peter said again.

At first, May looked at Peter with a little hint of suspicision. However, Peter was worried about having to tell Aunt May the truth about who he was and kept making the same excuse.

"Alright, I'll tell you what... Go upstairs; clean up and go to bed. We'll see what happens from here. Maybe Jameson will get that headline out of you tomorrow." May finally said.

"Thanks, Aunt May." Peter said getting up from the chair and moved to the staircase.

As Peter started to walk up to his room, he looked back at May, who gave an approving smile. Upon entering his room, he closed the door behind making the room dark with the exception of the moonlight shining in front of the window.

Peter then sat down next to his bed tierd and quickly grabbed his phone charger to which he plugged into his phone. The phone's battery started to come back and Peter looked at all the missed messages he had which include people such as Gwen, Ned, John and May herself.

"Home at last." Peter said before his eyes started to shut.

* * *

 _5:35 am The Raft..._

The Raft was left in a disastorous mess thanks to Miller's deception who had managed to cause enough chaos leaving the place to himself mostly. He had usurped the Raft from Wilson's authority leaving a stack of security guards dead on the ground and others fighting against multiple prisoners.

In the meantime, super-powered prisoners like Electro had been freed which made things easier for him as he claimed his prized experiment, Man-Spider. Looking at the weakened Man-Spider who imprisoned in the cage; Miller began studying his notes on how to make a reverse cure that will make him more human and intelligent.

"So what's next?" Electro asked as he entered the laboratory room with his orange prison suit no longer wearing the neckbrace device installed onto him by Wilson.

"Ah, Mr. Dillon. Finished mopping up the place?" Miller said still focusing on his notes.

"Yeah, we're basically stuck on this 'island' for now. I cut off the communications too. No one's gonna know what happened here for a while." Electro reported.

"Good." Miller snickered, "Good for me and you too."

"Are you actually my new boss now? Cause the last one had me stuck in a 'water' prison." Electro asked.

"No, I'm not your boss; you're a free man as you are so long as you don't cause trouble for me." Miller said turning his eye onto Man-Spider.

Electro stared at Man-Spider himself before spitting.

"Is that thing supposed to be Spidey? Looks really gross upfront." Electro mocked.

"Now, please don't insult my subject." Miller said turning his eye to Electro for a moment.

As the two conversed, another prescene came into the room. It was Hammerhead, the crime lord who Spider-Man had defeated months ago ever since his war against Chameleon. Hammerhead had a flustered and sour look on him as he walked in with his prison suit.

His large forehead had not been treated kindly by the wards with a scrap of silver-like vibranium somewhat exposed.

"Hey, little man." Hammerhead called out to Miller.

Miller looked at Hammerhead in the eye before he said a word.

"Can I help you?" Miller asked shuffling his notes around.

"Just want to lend out my genorosity for what you have started." Hammerhead said.

"You're the mob boss that Spider-Man had taken down ages ago, right?" Miller asked, "Do you want something from me?"

"Well, since Spider-Man is no more from what I hear, I'm open to some fresh talent. You interested in Maggia business?" Hammerhead asked.

"What can your little gang do that's helpful for my science?" Miller asked.

"Resources, of course. I've got contacts to help me get certain things I need." Hammerhead appealed.

"Oh really? Can you order me certain reagents I need to do my work?" Miller wondered before passing one of his notes to him.

Hammerhead looked at the paper before giving his word.

"Look, I don't know what this crap is but I can gurantee I've got boys on the outside who are willing to make a shop for these things." Hammerhead said before passing it back.

"If that's your word then make good use of it." Miller said.

"Of course, if I can get something in return. That will be nice." Hammerhead warned.

"I don't know what to say but perhaps retaking what was stolen from you?" Miller replied, "As in all your assets that have been taken by Fisk."

"Huh, that will do. I'll see how much of my stuff that fat ass has misused." Hammerhead said.

"May I interject?" Electro interrupted, "I like the sound of teamwork that's building here; but I'd like a lion share of revenge too if you don't mind against Fisk. After all, he wasted my opportunity to kill Spider-Man."

"Sounds petty, pal." Hammerhead said looking at Electro, "You sure you don't want a place in the Maggia?"

"I'm looking out for myself from here on. So no. After I zap Fisk; I think I'll fry that thing over there assuming it's Spider-Man." Electro said pointing to Man-Spider who was in a catatonic state.

"This isn't Spider-Man, Mr. Dillon. This is my project. However, I do believe there's one way to appease that rage of yours." Miller suggested.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Electro wondered.

"I get the feeling that...There's another spider crawling around New York. Yes...It might be someone close to me." Miller said softly, "Someone who tastes... Fresh."

Hammerhead and Electro watched awkwardly as Miller licked his lips and chuckled to himself. The professor then went back to his work as soon as possible. From then on, a potential temporary alliance had been formed by the three and it was here that Miller had the 'friends' he needed.

* * *

 _6:35 am Parker residence..._

Peter blinked his eyes rapidly after having his rest and looked at the time on his analog clock.

"Nice. Still got plenty of time to rest." Peter smiled as he threw the blanket onto himself.

As he continued to sleep; he heard the doorbell sound downstairs. Aunt May's footsteps were heard as she went to pick up the door. Peter at first heard chatter before he heard another set of footsteps nearby.

There was soon a knock on his room door prompting Peter to groan.

"Come in." Peter said sleepily.

As the door opened, Peter jumped as he saw Gwen come in dressed in a white shirt and purple skirt.

"Oh, hi Gwen. I'm so glad to see you; you..." Peter stammered holding onto his blanket.

Before he finished; Gwen came forward and hugged Peter tightly.

"Whoa there..." Peter gasped for his breath as he hugged back.

Gwen then let go after she realised Peter was only sleeping his boxer shorts causing her to feel a little flustered.

"You're okay, are you?" Gwen asked as she stepped back.

"Uh, yeah. I'm... Okay." Peter said smiling back.

"I'm so glad you made it back alive." Gwen said, "I knew you would."

"I mean... Yeah. I sure did. It wasn't easy though." Peter said making sure to keep his secret as Spider-Man in check.

"Oh yeah, it wouldn't be easy if you didn't have what you have." Gwen spoke starting to lean into a sarcastic tone.

"Uh, what do you mean? Are you complimenting my..." Peter said becoming a little nervous.

"You've been lying to me." Gwen said seriously, "Ever since, we started dating and you kept running."

Peter felt his jaw drop as Gwen looked at him. He thought to himself if Gwen had figured out his secret.

"I know guys can have their secrets; whether it's ugly or cool ones." Gwen continued, "I understand if some guys like you are just nervous or shy when it comes to the dating game."

Peter felt like sweating; he was confused at what was happening and it was strange thinking that Gwen's personality might have changed a little.

"Gwen, I don't know how to respond. I-" Peter said before he was startled when Gwen made a web shooting position with her hands similar to his which caught him by surprise.

As the web shot out; Peter watched as the web landed near the top of his bed. What was strange is that his spider-sense failed to pick up on it. Peter touched the web and found how sticky and similar it was to his own webs. He then turned his neck to face Gwen.

"So, Spider-Man. Feeling any better?" Gwen asked.

Peter's world then shattered as he heard Gwen utter those words to him. Is it good or bad that Gwen had the ability to shoot webs?

"Is this a fever dream?" Peter wondered nervously.

Just as anything further could happen; Aunt May interrupted with Ned behind her.

"Peter, looks like another one of your friends has arrived." May said.

* * *

 _6:40 am Times Square, Manhattan..._

Elsewhere, Frederick was not having the best moment of his career as he conversed with John on the phone while sitting on a bench in front of all the busy pedestrians.

"I'm telling you, Mr. Jameson. I'm pretty busy. The news it keeps ratcheting up and I don't have the time to fit in that kind of story." Frederick said.

"Foswell, for the love of god. Take a break from your regular work and do this story as I tell you to!" John yelled into his ear.

"Argh! Okay, okay. I'll get to it." Frederick said before hanging up, "Christ on a bicycle."

As Frederick hanged up and sighed; John had become a bit of a nerve lately and Wilson had not been happy with him either. His career was having its worst with all the mistakes he made. Still sitting; he thought that he was becoming more of a means to end for Wilson.

Looking up, he then saw the Times Square electronic advertisments and billboards start to act funny with all the static electricity. Pedestrians and tourists all began to stop to see what was happening. Suddenly, Electro appeared on screen sitting on a chair.

His scarred face coupled with his orange prison suit rippled on screens before his distorted voice began to speak out.

"Hello, people. Have you ever seen me before?" Electro started, "I'm here to share to you all; the plans I have against the scum of a human being called Wilson Fisk..."

Frederick watched the screens with interest as he took out his phone to record the message.

"I'm here to expose the filth of the place that is the Raft!" Electro ranted, "And the man who ruined my life; I'm coming fast and I'm hitting hard for what you did. You are gonna PAY for your corruption!"

"Oh and a final note. Maybe I'll screw your wife whose also going to be dead too just for insult. Haha! You're screwed. You're dead..." Electro said before his message finished.

The billboards all went silent after that as Frederick also finished recording from his phone. After that, Frederick decided to call Wilson as a means to warn him.

* * *

 _6:45 am Parker residence..._

Peter and Ned went into Aunt May's bathroom to privately talk about the new dilema Peter was in. This time; Peter got semi-dressed in shorts and expressed his agitation after he was given permission to talk privately by Gwen.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Peter asked sharply.

"I messed up bad, I'm sorry. It's just... I didn't anticipate this at all." Ned said, "But it's fine, right? You can trust her."

"Yeah, I know that. But her knowing my secret is one thing that leads to another. It's like now she will get involved in all the crazy dangerous stuff I do." Peter said freaking out and putting his hands over his head.

"Talk slow, Shia LaBeouf. We can handle her if she goes bad, right?" Ned asked.

"Ned, I'm going to tell you this. My powers...They've been nulified as of late for some reason." Peter confessed.

"What?" Ned asked in disbelief.

"All of a sudden; I can't swing a web properly. I can't climb walls that well. And I found out that my Spidey-sense doesn't work either." Peter said.

"Shit. That's..." Ned said, "What about the costume?"

"Tombstone ruined that suit pretty bad; I threw it away but it's not that big of a deal if you can't fix it properly. Plus I did it to make things less suspicious when I got back." Peter explained, "I kept the technological parts like my webshooters though; but that's it."

"Wow, okay. Um...Smart thinking? Maybe we can salvage some things? Like how about showing her that you absolutely have none of the powers she has now." Ned suggested.

"And I don't have the costume. Alright, maybe this could work." Peter thought.

"Fingers crossed. Hey Peter, don't worry. I'm your friend, I wouldn't recklessly give away your secret. She kind of caught me in a bad place one time. I'll explain later." Ned said.

"Alright, let's see how much she can bend her back." Peter said back.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	26. Shock and Drop

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 26)

 _6:46 am Parker residence..._

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ned asked as he and Peter stood in front of the bedroom door.

"Fingers crossed." Peter said before opening the door.

Opening the door, Peter and Ned greeted Gwen who waited with her arms crossed.

"Still a New York Mets fan, Peter?" Gwen asked looking at the baseball team poster on the bedroom wall.

"Always." Peter replied as he stood with Ned.

"And your room's still a mess as well." Gwen said looking at a pile of clothes on the floor.

"OK...Um, I'll get to the point. Gwen, I got some things to say. And I hope you can understand." Peter said.

"Tell me." Gwen said raising her eyebrow.

"I'm not Spider-Man. I'm not." Peter said, "I can't do what he does."

"That's right. I made up the fact that Peter was Spider-Man on the spot actually." Ned added with a sheepish grin.

"Can you prove something to me?" Gwen asked Peter before picking up a baseball.

Afterwards, Gwen threw the ball at Peter and hit him on the nose causing Gwen to gasp.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you would dodge that." Gwen apologized while she cupped her hands over her mouth.

"Do you believe me now?" Peter asked rubbing his own nose.

Gwen looked at the two before shaking her head.

"Come on, you guys. You can't make me look like a dumb blonde." Gwen said, "Ned's already given substational evidence to prove you that you are who you are. Stop pretending."

"What is she talking about?" Peter glared at Ned as he asked him.

"Peter? Breakfast is almost ready!" Aunt May shouted from downstairs.

"I'm hungry, are you guys?" Gwen asked quickly switching the subject.

The two stood silent as Gwen walked past them and left the door open for the other two to follow.

"You had one job, Ned. One job." Peter harshly said as he followed Gwen downstairs.

In the kitchenroom, Aunt May finished making the waffles and prepared the breakfasts on the table for the three. In the meantime, the television in the living room was turned on and was broadcasting the morning news.

"Ah, Gwen." Aunt May said she gave Gwen a chair.

Peter and Ned followed as they both sat down as well. The breakfast had eggs; bacon and toast with avocado in place all spread out for everyone to share.

"Oh dear, the waffles seem to be overtoasted." May complained as she stacked each one on top of a plate.

Peter remained nervous as he looked at Gwen before turning his eye away when it got awkward.

"Peter, where's the chatter?" May asked wondering why all three are acting silent.

"We can't wait to eat." Peter said as he grabbed his fork and knife.

"Where are your table manners, Peter?" Gwen asked sarcastically as she began to reach for a piece of toast.

As the four of them began to eat, the news broadcast addressed yesterday's new regarding Electro's threat and return.

"Citizens of Manhattan have been shook yesterday after a threatening message from Maxwell Dillon had been broadcast out to Time Squares from the Raft prison. Mr. Dillon had specifically been calling out Mayor of Queens, Wilson Fisk for alledged offences put on against with the former intending to carry out vengenance." The news reporter informed.

Live footage of Electro's threat were then played on screen.

"Oh dear, extremly concerning." May commented.

"I'm heading out now." Gwen said as she finished an egg.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked.

Gwen gave one glance to the television screen before Peter realised she wanted to comfront Electro.

"I need to hurry to work." Gwen said smiling at Aunt May as she walked out the door and left, "Thank you, Aunt May."

"She doesn't work, does she?" Peter questioned as he got up too.

"Peter, why don't you eat her food?" May asked.

"That's gross, Aunt May." Peter replied rejecting the plate of food.

"Hey, Ned. Can you try keep an eye on her? I probably have some catching up to do." Peter said to Ned as May pressured him to finish his breakfast.

* * *

 _8:00 am Flushing Town Hall..._

Wilson turned up looking flustered as he went up to the press stand to address upcoming issues that have happened. In particular to the threat spoken by Electro.

"Mr. Fisk. What's the story behind you and Mr. Dillon?" Journalists began to ask as they flashed cameras and grabbed their microphones out.

Wilson took a deep breath before raising his hands up to address the demanding press.

"Everyone, focus and calm down. Here's my story. Mr. Dillon had been held prisoner in the Raft for quite some time. As you know, I was partially responsible for the Raft's construction. As you should know, Mr. Dillon is unlike anyone. He has a condition in which he needs to feed off electricity and it is causing concerning mental instability within him. His threats are clearly noted despite the fact, that the Raft staff did everything they can to support him."

After Wilson gave out those words, the press started to escalate their questions.

"Mr. Fisk, how does this threat correlate to the security of the Raft?" One female journalist asked.

Wilson then sighed in frustration as he began answering the questions. He looked at the security around him which including Jack; Ronald and Dan who were now his so-called, Enforcers. The trio wore protective FBI suits including helmets and watched over him in the case of danger.

Everyone except for Dan were the same. Dan had it worst; the last time Wilson beat him over and left a couple of bruises on him. The injuries however motivated him to becoming more vicious in his duties which could be a major concern for Wilson's enemies.

After the interview, Wilson was escorted backstage away from the press. Vanessa waited in the dimly lit room after Wilson cleared the air.

"Give me some privacy." Wilson said ordering all men to leave the room.

Vanessa touched her neck revealing the claw marks Miller had left on her the other night.

"When is our world going to be at ease?" Vanessa asked.

"I will deal with this fast. I won't rest, Vanessa." Wilson promised.

"At what cost? I still love you even though you have those mistakes of yours. But your own ambitions just keep pulling things apart." Vanessa said with an upset tone.

"It's what I live for. I'm keeping people in line." Wilson defended.

Tears were swelling up in Vanessa's eyes as she faced her husband.

"Who else can we count on, Wilson? Do you have a clue?" Vanessa asked.

Wilson stood silently before he found his words.

"In my eyes, I'm a hero to you, Vanessa. I want that future for us. And leave behind all the twisted things in the past." Wilson said.

Vanessa turned around and then dropped some shocking comments to Wilson.

"You know... Part of me wishes that beast slashes my throat the other night. As well as this 'Electro' man getting to me." Vanessa said as she reflected on Miller holding her captive.

* * *

 _8:30 am Daily Bugle Building meeting room, 4th floor..._

"Are you serious, not even Foswell? No one showed up at the Town Hall at 8 am today?!" John shouted to all the staff in the room which included Robbie and Betty but not Frederick.

John continued his anger by smacking down a Daily Globe paper on the table.

"At any rate, our company will be bending a knee." John murmmered.

Soon, Peter and Ned entered the room which caused everyone to turn around.

"Well, well, well. Look who is back." John said as he walked over.

Putting an arm around Peter, John held on and showed him off.

"Mr. Parker is still alive! So glad to hear from your aunt." John said shaking him back and forth, "My boy. You have a story that could save our face today."

The staff all clapped as Peter looked around the room. Betty gave Peter an adoring smile while Robbie cracked his own smile.

"So what's the story?" John asked.

"Well, I was mugged and had to live on the streets for a while." Peter stated.

"You didn't go to the police?" John wondered.

"I... I was hurting quite a bit but fortunately I was nursed back to health." Peter said.

John stared at Peter for quite a bit of time before going back to a celebratory mood.

"Okay, it seems there's a lot to take in. Anyway, I think we have a lot of catching up to do. Chop, chop." John said clapping his hands to dismiss everyone.

"Oh, Leeds. I got a word for you if you don't mind?" John said.

"Yes?" Ned asked.

"You're fired, Leeds." John stated.

"What?" Ned asked again.

"You're fired. Because your supervisor hasn't been too cooperative as of late and you on the other hand, are slacking. I'm sorry, it's how I roll." John said.

"Come on, Mr. Jameson. I can stick around." Ned assured.

"Two photographers is too extraneous. Maybe you can give resturant work a try, I'll referee for you." John assured back.

Peter watched as his friend backed out the room in disappointment; he too was going to have a hard time figuring out how to tell his story.

* * *

 _9:30 am Midtown Manhattan..._

Electro started a rountine in which he would go out to different areas of New York and he feed off on areas rich in flowing electricity. Absorbing sparks from transformers; his actions put him on notice with authorities who were roaming the streets.

"You there! Stay from the transformer!" One policeman shouted as he dropped his Chinese lunchbox.

Electro gave no care as he fed off the flowing energy that was powering him. As soon as the policeman opened a gun onto his shoulder; his mood changed.

"When are people going to understand me?" Electro asked as he charged up and shot out jolts of electricity.

The policeman went flying and hit his back onto a car door hard knocking him out cold. Unsatisfied, Electro turned his attention to some innocent bystanders. Just as he was about to zap them away, a web shot hit him on the back.

"Enough with the sparkles." Gwen jumped in with her costume on.

Electro gave a stunned look as he faced Gwen.

"What the- Who are you? Gender bent Spider-Man?" Electro asked as Gwen stared at the supervillain's scarred face.

"I'll take Spider-Woman, alright." Gwen said.

Electro laughed at Gwen as he ridiculed the sight of her.

"So Spider-Man dies and gets replaced by this? Man, these sequels and reboots suck." Electro said.

Gwen wasted no time in attacking Electro by throwing her fist in but not before Electro grabbed her and threw her onto the ground.

"I guess I'll settle for you since I didn't get the chance to kill him myself. It'll fill the void for sure." Electro said as he lifted his fingers up.

"Bring it, Darth Hideous." Gwen mocked as she got up and dodged the lightning.

As they battled, Electro had short-circuted some of the cars around him causing expected destruction. Fortunately, most civillians moved out of the way in the wake of their conflict.

"So what makes you different besides being a girl? Are you the mother to his children?" Electro asked.

"You sure have empathy issues, sir." Gwen said as she returned a web shot fire at him.

"There's no point fighting me, the prison I am freed from is all in shambles. You should just run." Electro said.

"I can stop you." Gwen said athetically dodging more bolts of electricity.

"That's what Spider-Man says too until he caught karma." Electro yelled as more manicial jolts of electricity were fired.

The fight continued for a bit of time before Peter rushed in on foot.

"Gwen. Stop this! This is insane, get out of here." Peter shouted.

"Peter?" Gwen asked feeling him nearby.

As soon as she turned her attention, Electro punched her to the ground.

"Oh, look a civillain." Electro cackled.

Electro turned his attention to Peter who then tried running. Raising his hands, Electro looked at Peter's direction and sent out streams of electricity. Using her Spider-sense, Gwen quickly intervened and took the hit for herself.

The shock hit Gwen whose eye lens widened on her costume. She then fell down onto Peter with her back smoking.

"Oh dear." Electro said as he realised more authorities were on the way.

Leaving the scene, Electro took off using all the acquired electricity in hand as police cars rushed in. Peter then turned Gwen over and tried to wake her up from the unconcious state. He peeled the mask off her face to check for signs of vitality.

"Gwen, come on. Wake up." Peter said shaking her, "Gwen?"

With no evident signs of her regaining her concious, Peter then went the CPR route to revive her.

* * *

 _9:55 am The Raft..._

Electro arrived back to the Raft, feeling tierd after the hard battle. He walked back into the research room, where Miller had been spending his time going over his notes and examining Man-Spider.

"I saw something freaky today." Electro said cracking his neck.

"Another one of you?" Miller joked.

"More like... Another Spider-Man...Well Spider-Girl. Whatever." Electro informed.

"Spider-Girl?" Miller asked peaking his interest.

"Yeah. Sound useful for your funny experiment there?" Electro asked looking at the bound Man-Spider.

"It could be." Miller said, "Describe her to me."

"She wore white all right. And there were girly pink colours I think on her as well as some black. Had similar patterns like Spider's." Electro described.

"Thank you. I love that description. Are you planning to go back out soon?" Miller asked.

"I don't know, I had to run from some cops on the tail." Electro said, "Besides what's new with you, doc?"

"Professor." Miller corrected, "My paitent here is doing well; I might let him out soon and I'm making some progress with improving him should Hammerhead promise me the right materials."

"Okay, not that I care." Electro shrugged.

"Oh, Mr. Dillon. Here's something I think you'll care." Miller replied.

"Huh?" Electro wondered.

"Since you know I'm a geneticist and such; I do have curiousity for your affinity to electricity." Miller said tapping a pen.

"Let me guess, you want to make me stronger?" Electro asked.

Miller turned around on his chair and smiled.

"Precisely." Miller answered.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	27. Electro's Comeuppance

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 27)

 **Note: Hey everyone, just want to make note that I am thinking of doing a rewrite of The Great Responsibility. Nothing too major; but during the course of The Other Spider, I will be thinking of doing retcons from that story. Anyway, enjoy reading. (Sorry for the delay of this chapter also)**

 _9:50 am Midtown Manhattan…_

After the police arrived at the scene; Peter quickly dragged the unconscious Gwen out of sight while his friend Ned caused a temporary distraction acting all distressed. As Peter reached into the alleyway, he gently shook Gwen.

"Come on, I know you're still breathing…" Peter said in his head.

Finally, Gwen opened up her eyes a little before noticing Peter.

"P-Peter?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, it's me. How are you feeling?" Peter asked feeling distressed.

"Fuzzy. I now know what it feels like to be jolted by 10,000 volts at least." Gwen said trying to smile.

"Don't joke with me, Gwen." Peter said, "You look like you're in bad shape."

"Maybe." Gwen admitted.

Peter then looked at her costume and noticed how burnt up it was from Electro's attack. The costume in Peter's eyes looked really cheap-looking almost like his own home-made suit that he first used.

"Before I get you to a hospital…Can you try hiding the costume?" Peter requested.

* * *

 _10:45 am The Raft…_

After being gone out of the room for a couple of minutes, Electro walked back into the research facility room where Miller was now busy looking through the computer database.

"Just got done with my 'pain' endurance." Electro said hobbling in looking weakened.

"Is water still a weakness, Mr. Dillon?" Miller asked who was busy going through criminal record files.

"Water is the thing that sizzles the spark out of me. It's why I hate showers." Electro grunted, "Say, where's that spider guy of yours?"

As Electro noticed, Man-Spider was gone from the caged seat. The shackles and harness have all been loosened.

"Oh, he's feeling a lot better now. By the way, my new 'friend' Hammerhead has some quick people who can gather resources fast from the outside. And right now, the cops are ineffective thanks to you." Miller said.

"Doesn't mean a bullet can't stop me." Electro commented.

"About that gift I promised. It's ready." Miller said turning around from the chair.

"Uh-huh? Care to show me?" Electro wondered in curiosity.

"Thanks to the genius software on the computer. I figured out which specific sequences of your DNA tick." Miller said as he pointed to the computer screen near him.

Electro stared at the screen with visible confusion before Miller explained further.

"To put it simply, your genome is so altered from what is considered the normal human genetic sequence. Your enzymes for instance might react differently." Miller said.

"I don't know what that means but… Yeah, I get hungry for sparks every once in a while. That screen saver is appetising." Electro said fixated by the electricity running on the computer.

"Well, let me tell you. This operation I'm giving you might be the next best thing." Miller said attempting to sway Electro away.

"OK, scientist man. Get to the point." Electro said turning his eye to him.

Miller then directed Electro to the same chair where Man-Spider had been held previously.

"Oh, so I'm the caged animal now?" Electro questioned.

"You'll be free right after this." Miller assured as he motioned Electro to the chair while being cautious of not getting electrocuted himself.

As Electro placed himself onto the seat, he let out a deep breath as clamps were being placed onto him.

"Sit down. Relax. Let it flow right into you." Miller said as Electro was strapped onto the chair.

Electro watched as Miller went to the operating device and dialled up the voltage levels. A shot of electricity was given to Electro which ran straight into his veins. Electro's eyes also widened as if he was given a drug.

Moments later, a change began to take place as the pupils in Electro's eyes began to glow lightning blue and his skin was shifting into an electrifying yellow colour with his body feeling lighter.

* * *

 _10:55 am New York Metro Hospital…_

After Peter admitted Gwen to hospital for electrocution injury, he waited outside her ward until he was allowed to enter.

"I think she can make it." The nurse informed.

"Thank you." Peter sighed before sitting down at the bedside.

"I'll give you some space for now." The nurse said before leaving.

Gwen was fitted in a hospital gown alongside an oxygen mask over her mouth as well as a heart rate monitor. So far, her heart rate has been stable with no signs of abnormality happening. Peter held onto Gwen's hand as he waited for her to recover.

Afterwards, George Stacy came knocking into the ward with Helen and Simon trailing behind him. The whole family seemed to be distressed at the sight of their daughter being injured.

"Oh god…" George said nearly acting as if he was about to cry.

"Mr. Stacy. I promise…" Peter assured.

George put a hand on Peter's shoulder before trying to compose himself.

"I don't want to blame you, Peter. But this is the state our city is in." George said surprising Peter.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"It's the crime levels. It's gotten much worse since the Raft blew over." George said.

"But why? How did this happen all of a sudden?" Peter asked again.

"It doesn't add up. You know that since Fisk took over as mayor of Queens, he promised the one thing that he swore would be taken care of. Crime." George said, "Now I'm not accusing him but it was already suspicious with the way some of the police force are acting as well as what happened at the Raft."

"If that was the case. I'm not surprised." Peter said.

"I'm sorry?" George asked raising an eyebrow.

"I mean… You might be onto something if that was the case." Peter said trying to divert suspicion away of being Spider-Man.

"Yeah. But I'm not an official cop. I have no arrest warrants; no evidence on wrongdoings. And all I've got is faith that he's doing something about it." George said.

Peter nodded and looked back at Gwen again who still was not awake.

"Hey Peter, do you mind giving me and my family some privacy around our little girl?" George requested.

"Uh…Sure." Peter said as he walked to the ward door and opened it.

After that, Peter nodded silently to both Helen and Simon who went to join George in looking over Gwen.

"Guess this is what happens when you're not Spider-Man. Crazy and terrible things just happen." Peter thought to himself, "I'm glad Mr. Stacy is nice to me. It's nice that Gwen has such a loving family."

Peter walked down the corridor and thought about his next move. There was no need to get back at Tombstone now considering the level of danger happening with Electro being free.

"Can I still stop Sparkles?" Peter wondered reflecting on his lack of Spider powers.

Peter then turned his thoughts to Gwen. He was optimistic that Gwen would make a quick recovery soon enough. If Aunt May could survive an attack by the Chameleon; then Gwen should have more the reason to survive Electro given that she has the same healing factor Peter does as Spider-Man.

"I mean I've had my fair share of shock treatment, right? Please Gwen, you can pull through this, I believe in you." Peter said before taking his steps to leave the hospital.

* * *

 _1:20 pm Leeds residence…_

"Are you sure?" Ned asked.

"I've got to try." Peter replied, "I know how to put him down, so I'll do it again."

As the two discussed, Peter opened up the box and pulled out his old homemade Spider suit.

"You kept it in pretty good shape, I must say." Peter said complimenting Ned.

"Thanks, feels nice you said that." Ned replied.

"Come on, don't worry about that anymore. Focus on Electro." Peter said assuring Ned that he will handle Gwen.

"Okay, what's your plan?" Ned asked.

"Obviously rubber gloves should help. But here's something I can do." Peter said before pulling out a sketch drawing on his phone.

"It's just your web shooters, dude." Ned said.

"Sorry, here's the bigger picture." Peter said before swiping the phone.

"Copper wired? Oh, okay then." Ned said getting the picture.

"Exactly. I had a little help from our old friend, Phil by the way." Peter explained referring to Phillip Chang.

"Oh, cool. And how is he?" Ned asked.

"He seems to be doing fine. He's at Harvard after all." Peter answered, "Anyway, I gotta craft this thing. You got any copper wire lying around?"

"Uh, sure do." Ned said.

Afterwards, Peter got to work by creating a new set of web shooters fitted with copper wiring. Both his gift for intelligence as well as the work from his old friend allowed more some speedy engineering as Peter crafted the pair of web shooters.

"Alright, let's see if they work." Peter said trying them on.

Aiming at the wall, Peter shot out a web which landed flat on the ground.

"Damn it… Looks like I need to stock on some synthetic webs in place of my actual webs." Peter said remembering how badly compromised his powers were.

"And what about sticky finger climbing or… Spider-sense?" Ned questioned.

Peter then walked to the wall and placed his palm on it. He then placed a second hand as well before doing a climbing motion. The results then surprised Peter.

"Hey… This is somehow working now." Peter said as he reached the ceiling, "My powers might still be with me after all."

After the brief amount of excitement was experienced, Peter was again disappointed when his fingers refused to let go off the wall.

"Hold on." Peter said before suddenly landing with a thud.

"Are you okay, Peter?" Ned asked.

"It's not bad, Ned. Argh. But there's hope after all." Peter replied.

* * *

 _6:45 pm Fisk Tower…_

Vanessa arrived to the top floor of Fisk Tower where Wilson waited. Dinner was being prepared and taken to Wilson's VIP restaurant room. Vanessa was still looking upset even after Wilson tried to comfort her as she walked in with a sparkly purple dress.

"Wilson." Vanessa called out as she saw her husband stare into the night view of Manhattan out of the window.

Wilson turned around with a white bow and black suit. He gave a smile before Vanessa quickly sat down on her chair. Wilson's expression turned blank as he went to join her.

"I was hoping that this will make up everything." Wilson awkwardly said.

"Even after all that, you still organise fancy dinners with me?" Vanessa questioned as the roast lamb was placed in front of her.

"I don't want our relationship to be splintered by the dangers that are out there. We both should be used to it after all we been through." Wilson said as he tried opening a champagne bottle.

"Green furry monsters; guys who shed electricity and people who swing around through webs. This is just all sorts of weird." Vanessa said in a humorous tone.

"You don't believe in mutants, do you?" Wilson asked as he popped the cork of the bottle.

"I like to believe that fairy tales are fairy tales." Vanessa answered.

"Do you believe in happy endings?" Wilson wondered as he poured the champagne into both their wine glasses.

Vanessa giggled which prompted Wilson to smile. From then on, Wilson was hopeful that his wife could tolerate him.

"I love this city. I don't want to leave it. It's my home." Wilson said taking a sip out of the glass.

"I know that." Vanessa said as she looked at the food on the table.

"I need to figure out what I'm going to do with Mr. Foswell as well." Wilson said swirling the champagne in the glass around.

"Wilson, let's just focus on what's on this table. Are you starving?" Vanessa asked.

As Wilson and Vanessa began to dine, the night view lights at Manhattan were shutting off briefly before the two realised what was happening. Suddenly the glass shattered sending shards down causing Vanessa to scream a little and Wilson to react.

Electro rose up in the air outside looking a little different. The skin on him was all glowing yellow with sparks extending everywhere. His eyes glowed blue in anger as he stared down Wilson. Furthermore, he wore a black insulated suit that covered him.

"Mr. Fat Ass…" Electro gloated, "I was hoping you'd be up here. Enjoying your privacy?"

"Vanessa, run!" Wilson said as he attempted to shield his wife.

As Vanessa attempted to flee, Electro shot out a great heap of electricity which hit her on the back and knocked the consciousness out of her.

"Ouch!" Electro said before laughing, "That's gonna leave a mark."

"If she dies…" Wilson threatened before being interrupted.

"It's what you deserve, you asshole. Finally, I'm free and I don't need to be told what to do. And I'm looking forward to frying your ass." Electro said as he held two spheres of electricity in hand.

As Electro charged up, another interruption happened.

"Hey, Max. You could have climbed the Chrysler Tower, you know. Or the Empire State Building." Spider-Man called out as he hanged beneath him.

"What the-? Spider-Man?" Electro asked in disbelief.

"Come on down, I literally can't hang on any longer." Spider-Man said holding onto the surface of Fisk Tower while noting the multiple shattered glass windows that were created.

"Wow. Look at you. You look as different as I am." Electro said as he noted the old homemade suit on Spider-Man.

"Yeah, fancy how we both picked some wardrobe changes. Nice makeup you have, it really glows." Spider-Man teased.

"I hate your witticisms." Electro said triggered by the insult.

"Alright, it seems you can pick up on sarcasm." Spider-Man said.

"Hang on, I'm coming for you. After I finish this job first." Electro said before turning to Wilson.

"Better idea. Finish me, I'm still kicking and you're losing." Spider-Man taunted.

Electro growled as he dived down to attack him, this gave Wilson enough time to escape and carry his wife away. As he ran out into the hallway, he called for medical help.

"Medic team. Read me. Send your unit to me now." Wilson carrying Vanessa with both palms.

Meanwhile outside, Spider-Man's Spider-sense failed to signal but he nevertheless responded to Electro's dive attack.

"Alright, let's play keeps." Spider-Man said.

* * *

 _6:55 pm Downtown Manhattan…_

Spider-Man and Electro swooped down into the streets of Manhattan with Spider-Man managing to swing just in time as he nearly hit the ground. Within the suit, Peter felt discomfort due to his lack of power but tried to keep in character.

"Hey Max, this has to be the end of a trilogy, right?" Spider-Man asked as he swung in the air.

No response was made as Spider-Man realised Electro was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, Max?" Spider-Man asked again as he landed his feet on the busy New York road.

Suddenly, Spider-Man was hit in the face by a jolt of electricity and landed on his back. Electro stood in mid-air and began gloating to Spider-Man the changes in him.

"Guess what's really different about me?" Electro asked, "Yeah. I'm less physical than ever. Which means I'm all energy and you can't hit me."

Spider-Man groaned as Electro came closer to him.

"You're softer than what I remember. Is it the suit? Cause I understand it you made from second-hand stuff." Electro said as he blasted a wave of electricity onto him.

Spider-Man soon raised his hands in response before shooting out his webs onto Electro's face. However the webs soon melted after making contact.

"And the webs too. Gotta say you downgraded to stay alive, right?" Electro cackled as Spider-Man tried to resist the voltage.

"Ugh! Spider-powers, I love you and I need you." Spider-Man said as he tried to get up.

"I'm disappointed. You'd put up good fights before but maybe because of these enhancements I finally get to win." Electro said as Spider-Man grew weak.

Peter reflected within the suit as he felt the end was near. It felt as if his powers betrayed him and this was his ultimate demise. At least, he was going to be finished by superpowers that no ordinary human could withstand. Uncle Ben and his real parents might be waiting for him as he blanked.

Suddenly, a trash can lid hit Electro on the back of his head. Turning around, Electro saw Gwen in the same suit as before standing on top of a car.

"Of course, she's on your side." Electro growled as he fired a jolt of electricity out of his hand.

Gwen dodged the incoming lightning as she aimed her webs at Electro before firing. One web landed on the insulation suit but had no effect as it became more of a nuisance. While Electro was distracted, Spider-Man got the chance to slip away.

"These webs won't do a thing to me anymore. They'll melt away if they land on my skin." Electro explained as he burned the web off his suit using his hands.

"He must be completely electrical energy now." Spider-Man thought, "None of my webs will stick him down."

As Electro continued attacking Gwen causing collateral damage, Spider-Man had to quickly think what exactly can be done to stop the hyperactive voltage of energy.

"If only it was like Ghostbusters… If I could trap him…Wait, I got it." Spider-Man said as he watched Gwen defend herself by breaking a fire hydrant.

"I got a way with water too, you know." Electro proclaimed as he stopped the water mid-air using his electrical force powers.

"Hey Max! Don't get distracted, you're after me right?" Spider-Man called out.

Once again, the fight between Spider-Man and Electro resumed with Spider-Man using most of his energy to run on foot while swinging every once in a while, to keep distance. Meanwhile, Gwen watched in confusion as Spider-Man lured Electro away.

"What are you doing, Peter?" Gwen questioned as she tried following the two.

As Spider-Man zipped through Manhattan with Electro, his eyes finally set sight on what he was after. A nearby building with an Oscorp research station on top was Peter's idea on how he could stop Electro.

"Oscorp's EMP generation station." Spider-Man said to himself, "The generator here is powerful to suck in many volts at once and cause a blackout maybe."

"That's right, Spider-Man. You can only run now." Electro said as he drew near again.

As Spider-Man landed on the building where the station was, he began baiting Electro.

"You're right, Max. I can only run. In fact, I came here to surrender." Spider-Man said breathing heavily after the chase.

"Hehe. You make it easy for me." Electro laughed before preparing to fry Spider-Man.

In a first move, Spider-Man used both of his web shooters and shot his webs at Electro's suit near the hand regions to prevent him from attacking him directly. Using all his force, Spider-Man tugged Electro who began spraying many volts of electricity around him in attempt to shock him off. However, Spider-Man kept pulling him despite the danger.

Reaching the generator, Spider-Man used all his strength and stuck each web at specific parts. After letting each web go, he then turned his attention to the generator's control panels which sealed securely by glass. Smashing the glass with his super strength, Spider-Man pressed the override button on the generator.

"Nice fighting you again, Max. Enjoy being the non-biological thing you are." Spider-Man said on a final note.

The generator kicked in and increased the power of its electromagnetic pulse which began sucking Electro into the machine. In his last few words, Electro only let get out an ear-grating screech as he felt all the electricity in him leave. After that, Spider-Man quickly pulled the stop lever which let out an EMP that knocked him back.

The EMP's energy knocked him to the point where he was pushed over the edge of the building and began falling. As he felt gravity pulling him down, he suddenly felt a force sweep him up and save him. He opened his eyes as he found himself being carried in Gwen's arms. Together, the two landed safely near an alleyway while the whole neighbourhood went into blackout.

"This is the first time I'm saved through web slinging." Peter said through his suit as Gwen placed him down.

"Oh, shut up. You nearly got killed doing whatever you did." Gwen answered.

Peter wanted to argue back, but then decided not to.

"Alright, it was stupid." Peter sighed as he rested against the wall, "Why are you out of the hospital?"

Ignoring his question, Gwen lifted off her mask before slowly peeling away Peter's. Peter noted that Gwen's costume still had the damage from her encounter with Electro. In a sudden move, Gwen kissed Peter on the lips catching him by surprise.

"Mhm?" Peter tried to speak but was silenced away.

After a few seconds of lip locking, Peter came to his senses and stopped.

"You need to go back to the hospital safely." Peter urged.

"S-Sorry. I couldn't help for some reason." Gwen said standing up, "My 'Spidey-sense' was tingling."

"I didn't mind it, it's just timing." Peter explained while he pulled his mask back down.

"Gotcha. I'll go back then." Gwen said pulling her mask down too, "But are you going to be safe?"

"I'm fine. Ned's got my back." Peter assured putting his hand up.

Gwen nodded before taking off into the night leaving Peter alone.

"At least she's safe. Oh man, and she kissed me." Peter said while touching his lips beneath the mask.

* * *

 _8:05 pm The Raft…_

Miller had heard about the news of Electro's defeat in being trapped in an EMP generator. However, he did not care as Electro was never special to him.

"Pity that Mr. Dillon had no brain with the gift he was granted." Miller said shaking his head after browsing the news on the computer.

Miller then turned his head to a dark corner and spoke.

"At least, I still have you. Mr. Rodriquez." Miller said.

Anton was back in human form came out of the dark naked. The one difference however was noted in his eye colour which were bloodshot red.

"How are you feeling now after all the trouble you've been through?" Miller asked.

"I'm feeling better than ever, professor." Anton replied emotionlessly.

* * *

 _8:15 am Jameson's office, Daily Bugle Building…_

John was grumbling to himself on his chair as he read through the news regarding Spider-Man's fight with Electro last night. Peter then walked in with a smile as he greeted John.

"Parker, earlier than expected. And early enough to see a draft of my latest opinion piece." John said before showing him the headline on the newspaper which was titled, 'THE RESILIENCE AND HARDSHIP OF THE BUGLE'.

Peter skim-read some of the article's sections and noted a paragraph about him that talked how brave the Bugle's employees are in uncovering the truth.

"That's one hell of a piece, Mr. Jameson." Peter said.

"It's partly possible because of what you went through." John answered, "Now that you're back, you know what to do now."

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"Oh, come on. Your work! You think I'm organising a free party after all this? No, work, work, WORK!" John yelled causing Peter to back a little.

"On it, Mr. Jameson." Peter said as he went to close the door.

"Oh, and Parker?" John asked.

"Yeah?" Peter asked back.

"My rival at the Globe doesn't know about this but… I told him that you went absent because of sick leave and work gap. Just to let you know, I don't want the other press to be up our arses. It's a Bugle secret." John said.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	28. Bold New Day

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 28)

 **Note: Hey everyone, it's been tough lately. Hope you are staying safe out there. It's been a while since I wrote, so I'm trying my best to remember my own continuity and decide the next course of action for the characters.**

 _11:35 am New York Metro Hospital…_

Peter waited at the reception area with like an ordinary New Yorker as he paid his daytime visit to Gwen in the hospital.

The waiting time has been strangely long with rumours that the hospital staff were making room for a 'special' patient. Finally, a nurse came into the area and called out Peter's name.

"Peter Parker…" The nurse called out.

Peter got out of his chair and made his way down the hallway. He entered an elevator as he was directed to Gwen's ward.

"Heya…" Gwen said sitting comfortably in her own bed as she greeted Peter.

"You look pretty happy for someone who's getting hospital treatment." Peter said with his arms crossed.

"Well, I'm about to boot out of this place soon. So, why not?" Gwen replied.

"Mr. Jameson granted me this special opportunity. So, I gotta make the most of it." Peter said.

"Lucky you. You broke out of your work schedule." Gwen said stretching her arms for a bit.

"So other than me wanting to check on you. I…Want to resume talking about your use of 'powers'." Peter said.

"Here? Peter, I have to check out first." Gwen answered.

"Of course, not here… Look, um… I'm super, super glad you're okay." Peter said, "I gotta go as well soon."

"Aw, you're leaving?" Gwen asked feeling as if the conversation was short.

"Yeah, um…Take care?" Peter said awkwardly.

"What about last night?" Gwen said reminding Peter of the kiss she gave after Electro's defeat.

Peter froze and was brought to a new level of awkwardness as he tried to fight his own words.

"That-That was…" Peter stammered.

"Wow… Look at the redness in your face." Gwen teased.

"You know… I gotta save my skin now. Bye." Peter said pulling the bed curtains back and leaving.

Gwen was then left alone as she pondered on the reason, she kissed Peter. It was time that she repair the relationship between them as the secrets of their identities are known.

As Peter walked to the elevator, he was greeted by a surprise as the door opened. His Spider-sense which had not been utilised in a while gave a faint tingle as he confronted something dangerous.

Multiple nurses and one doctor were guiding a single wheel bed with a woman on it. Peter recognised the woman as Vanessa Fisk. Behind her was a man with a familiar shape.

Through his own eyes, Peter saw Wilson accompanying the emergency transfer of his wife who had been under cardiac arrest thanks to Electro's attacks. The intimidating presence of Wilson made Peter tremble a little.

Outside of his Spider-Man costume, Peter was quite different. The encounter left Peter standing a while before Wilson and the others walked away from him into a special ward room.

"Gee... Of the all places." Peter said to himself before he left for the elevator.

Meanwhile, Wilson was advised by the doctor to stay outside the ward room as they prepared to save Vanessa's life. Wilson reluctantly did as he was told before he angrily pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

"Yes?" Tombstone's voice asked.

"You better have your streets monitored 24/7. The problem you took care of has returned." Wilson said.

"You're acting like this Spider guy is the new devil of sorts. You've been catching too many problems lately." Tombstone answered.

"Your own business is in jeopardy if you don't take this seriously." Wilson warned, "If you want to save it, act now. Don't cry to me if you find yourself in deep shit."

"Ooh… If it was the same guy as before, this time he will be dead. Still isn't my problem as much as he's yours." Tombstone said.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Mr. Lincoln." Wilson said before finishing the call.

As the call ended, Wilson thought about the events as of recent. The return of Spider-Man was a deep concern for his plans to control New York and he would have to be more discerning when enlisting more allies.

* * *

 _7:05 pm The Raft…_

Since the defeat of Electro, the NYPD have a chance in taking back control of the Raft prison. The mission called upon as many police officers of different ranks to work together. Yuri Watanabe was one of the officers who enlisted switching to full-on bullet proof gear as she prepared for the mission.

On board the Raft, Miller was shutting down all the work he had done in preparation for his proposed escape. Hammerhead offered him the chance to escape with him with the promise that his research will continue and he will be rewarded by the Maggia.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's paper you have on hand." Hammerhead said as he watched Miller stuff as many things into a tightly squeezed backpack.

"You have no idea…" Miller grunted shoving the last bit of notes into the backpack.

"You don't have that stuff on a USB stick?" Hammerhead wondered.

"Don't BE ridiculous. I don't want piracy hackers to find out." Miller replied, "I mean, my student knows this is important."

"Come on, this flight wasn't cheap to call." Hammerhead said feeling annoyed and concerned that the police were on their way.

Outside of the Raft, police had been stationed on boats as they surrounded the supermax prison. A few police helicopters were also dispatched and shone their lights.

"We have this prison surrounded. Any further hostility would not be tolerated!" An announcer voice called out from a police chopper.

The orange-suited prisoners were eager to resist as they waved guns in their hands in an attempt to stand their ground.

"They really deserved this place." Yuri commented as she heard the yells on top of the Raft platform.

Soon enough, fire exchange was started as the police ducked down when bullets flew.

"Alright, we're pushing forward!" One officer in charge yelled.

The boats moved forward as Yuri grasped her rifle. For some reason, she was excited to beat down some criminals after days of boring paper work. This was a special night for a special change of pace.

Yuri fired her weapon as soon as her boat approached a docking station. The prisoners were armed fairly well to the teeth and resisted by firing as much as they could in return. For every fire, Yuri and the other police officer ducked or were protected with the gear given to them.

The boat got near and Yuri became the first to jump off. She landed well onto the station and began striking down as many prisoners as possible. It was such a moment of adrenaline as she began showing off.

On an upper level of the Raft, Miller had finished packing up and followed Hammerhead as they fought their way through multiple prisoners who were happy to be out of their cells. Anton who was now wearing orange prison clothes followed Miller as well like an obedient pet and did so without question.

"You see, this is the kind of professional business the Maggia can specialise in to get out of trouble." Hammerhead said as multiple prisoners gave him compliments for freeing them.

"I see…" Miller said without making eye-contact to anything in his path.

"You'll be blown away by the stuff we have." Hammerhead said as they worked their way to the top of the prison.

After going through crowds and multiple levels, Hammerhead and his guests reached the helipad where they found a black helicopter awaiting them.

"There's our getaway." Hammerhead said as he led Miller and Anton to the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Yuri was starting to become physical as she resorted to martial arts training to take down her foes. A risky feat but one that she has no trouble pulling if she feels great about her odds.

"Holy… Does that guy have a rocket launcher on hand?" Yuri said with her eyes wide after spotting one prisoner with the weapon on hand.

Before the weapon could be unleashed onto her fellow officers, Yuri did the heroic thing and bravely tackled the prisoner down and making him lose his grip on the weapon. She then knocked him out with a punch to the face.

"Someone's making Christmas possible for these guys." Yuri noted as she looked at the rocket launcher.

Yuri then heard a helicopter sound nearby which prompted her to look up and see the black helicopter Hammerhead and the rest were escaping in.

"What a coincidence." Yuri said as she picked up the rocket launcher.

Grabbing hold of the rocket launcher and she aimed it at the helicopter. Her finger pressed down onto the handle which sent one rocket into the air and colliding with the tail. After that, the helicopter began to plummet into the East River.

* * *

 _7:55 am Frederick Foswell's office, Daily Bugle Building…_

Frederick was not having a great week ahead of him as both bosses seem to be chewing him out lately. Wilson began to see little value in him day after day while John was wondering why he had been slacking.

To Frederick's benefit, John assumed that it was family issues troubling him and it was partially the case. He had the family photo of him and his niece for a while now and realised that without Wilson backing him, he was an empty shell of a reporter with no insights for fresh new stories.

A few minutes before the meeting, John had left him a message on his desk phone.

"Foswell, I just read that draft you sent me. It's too surface level. What happened? Where's the exclusive Wilson Fisk outlook that you're good at reporting? Don't tell me this is it." John's voicemail said.

"If only I had the old geezer's tricks." Frederick said rubbing his forehead remembering the previous reporter before him.

He then began to think about Ned and how he was no longer working. He wondered if he still needed to fulfil the task of taking him out which he had been hesitant on in order to win back Wilson's favour.

"I could get rid of the kid. Or…I could come clean and face the future." Frederick said as he thought about his next move.

* * *

 _8:00 am Downtown Manhattan…_

Peter stood on top of 432 Park Avenue in his costume. His old costume gave him the nostalgia of his past as he reminisced his times with both MJ and Harry. More importantly, there was so much he missed as Spider-Man since then.

"Beautiful sun rise." Peter said taking a snapshot of the sun in the distance with an old camera that used to belong to Uncle Ben.

He examined the shots he took and began thinking what is next move as Spider-Man is. His powers were returning to him as he could scale big buildings again.

"And besides that. What could I do to be friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man again?" Peter wondered as he stood on the rooftop.

For Peter, his issues with big villains such as Kingpin and Tombstone would have to be dialled down for now. Afterwards, a woman's cry for help was heard from the distance and sensed by him.

"New York. Big City. Plenty of trouble." Peter said as he grabbed his gear and leaped off the building.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	29. His Final Story

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 29)

 **Note: Not the final chapter of course… But working to get there.**

 _8:30 am Daily Bugle Meeting Room, 4_ _th_ _floor…_

The meeting started with the TV on as it reported the latest news regarding the Raft incident.

"It's getting crazier, folks. First, we had the whole supposed 'return' of Spider-Man. And now... We have arguably one of New York's most bizarre prison riot!" John said to all the Bugle staff.

"But hey…" John continued, "This is where the true heroes of the city shine. We're the city that never sleeps after all."

Peter listened intently to the news regarding the Raft more than John's ramble as he became concerned on which of his foes have escaped this time.

"I still can't believe all this crazy stuff with this and Gwen getting spider powers happened after when I went missing." Peter thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Frederick was standing in the corner looking at both Peter and John. His initial plan was to come clean with John about his new stance against Wilson Fisk and leave everything behind. On the other hand, Frederick had growing suspicions about Peter.

"There's something strange about Ned's friend." Frederick observed, "Poor kid thinks everyone in the room is dumb about his disappearance."

"And that concludes everything for today. Big stories to cover, everyone." John concluded.

As everyone left the room, Peter began to notice that Frederick was following him. Turning around, Peter greeted Frederick with a stern face knowing that he was the mole for Wilson.

"Can I help you? Fred?" Peter asked.

"Peter Parker…" Frederick answered, "Do you have some time to spare for morning tea?"

* * *

 _10:15 am Silver Spoon Café…_

Peter sat on the reserved table of the café and waited as Frederick picked up the orders from inside. There were plenty of pigeons flying about and pecking the ground nearby which irritated him. Suddenly, the pigeons scattered when Peter noticed a rat scurry by the road sideline.

"Gross…" Peter said as he placed his hands on the table.

"Got your espresso." Frederick said as he placed the orders down, "Care for some pastries too?"

"No, I'm good. What is this really about anyway?" Peter asked.

As Frederick sat down, Peter followed his mannerisms as he began to explain.

"You and your friend, Ned." Frederick said, "You've been a troublesome duo."

"Oh yeah? What can I say? He's told me stuff about you. Like how you were trying pick him off during your dirty work." Peter rebutted.

"So, you know about the stuff I do. About the Kingpin?" Frederick asked.

Peter said nothing in return as he wanted to follow through the next phase of the conversation.

"You're a really smart cookie, Peter. You've stuck around this far to impress Jameson. Hell, I know Betty Brant has a crush on you." Frederick said.

"This has nothing to do with this conversation." Peter replied.

"I have a very funny story to tell you that may ring a bell. Listen carefully…" Frederick said as he sipped his coffee.

"After a long day of work, I walked into my office. Everything was neat as I placed it." Frederick continued, "But… When I got back to my computer, I couldn't help but notice the way everything on file had been clicked on recently. I know I didn't do this."

Inside Peter's mind, he realised that his attempt to expose Frederick back then had left some inevitable loopholes.

"Whatever has happened, I knew at the time that Ned was cautious about me. But he certainly could not have the agility to go through my things." Frederick said.

"Yeah, neither could I." Peter replied in attempt to sway suspicion of him being Spider-Man.

"Nice try." Frederick scoffed, "You know… I didn't think it made sense, Peter. But after you went 'missing'. I picked up the pieces and put two and two together."

At that moment, Peter knew that Frederick was trying to say that he was Spider-Man. For any enemy of his to know his identity, the risk was too much. It happened with Chameleon but with someone like Frederick, it was dangerous on another end in the sense that not many people know he is a criminal.

"Uh, nice try." Peter laughed in an attempt to deflect back.

"You're lucky though. Cause I went along with Jameson on the fact you were mugged by crooks." Frederick said.

"Okay, Fossie. Tell me your diabolical plan to expose me." Peter demanded as he faced Frederick down.

Frederick then focused on the cake on the table breaking it into crumbs before talking.

"To tell you the truth, it's fifty-fifty for me to expose you. I'll start cutting this talk short so you can get a picture." Frederick said.

Peter listened carefully as Frederick began to speak.

"I don't like Wilson Fisk… And I am not the kind of man who would hurt a kid like Ned. But I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. If I can't give Fisk his benefits, he can turn everything in my life upside down. Which is why… You and your friend are going to help me." Frederick whispered.

"Help you with what?" Peter asked.

"We're going to plunder his resources. He's got money that I need to be compensated for." Frederick said.

"You mean a bank heist?!" Peter blurted.

"Shh. Not quite, but I need help getting out of harm's way. If you can help me that is…" Frederick replied.

Peter thought carefully about Frederick's words. On one hand, he did make it clear that he is fifty-fifty meaning that his duplicity was present. However, this could all be an elaborate trap for him to save Ned.

"Alright, let me 'help' you." Peter answered.

"Thank you. I'll have more details later today." Frederick concluded.

Peter took a sip out of his espresso cup and spat it out instantly.

"This is bad…" Peter commented.

"Oh, shut up. This is what New Yorkers live to drink for." Frederick said.

* * *

 _6:30 pm Fisk Tower parking ground…_

Peter waited on top of a lamppost inside his costume as he withstood the cold air tonight. He then noted a car's arrival as it parked itself carefully. Watching behind his eye lens, Peter saw Frederick get out of the car slinging a golf bag in his 'Big Man' persona alongside Ned who wearing a white shirt.

"Ah, there he is. Like I told you." Frederick said to Ned as Spider-Man jumped onto the ground.

"He better be here willingly." Spider-Man warned.

"It's okay, dude. We kind of talked like old work buddies in front of mum." Ned said with an assuring smile.

"Ugh, right." Spider-Man said putting his face in the palm of his hand.

"I guess this is an alternative suit you got there." Frederick said noting the last time he met Spider-Man at Fisk's penthouse.

"No, that suit was destroyed. I mean… Yeah, this is an alternative suit." Spider-Man noted.

"Alright, let's mosey on over. Follow my lead and stay out of sight if you can." Frederick urged.

Spider-Man did as he was told and followed Frederick and Ned to the destination. To his surprise, Frederick stopped at a sewer lid. Opening up his golf bag, Frederick took out a crowbar and began prying it open.

"I'm not sure if I want to go down there." Ned said.

"You've got no choice. In fact, this was a favourite pastime during the Great Depression." Frederick said as he tried to use his strength to lift the lid.

Seeing Frederick struggle a little, Spider-Man jumped down and lent a hand. Together they shifted the lid aside and opened an entrance to the sewers.

"I'll go first." Frederick said taking a torch out of the bag.

One by one, Ned followed Frederick as they descended down the ladder with Spider-Man following behind. Spider-Man soon coughed upon smelling the rancid odour.

"Ugh, if only I had the other mask." Spider-Man commented.

* * *

 _Sewers…_

Following Frederick on the side walk, the trio made their way through numerous sewer tunnels.

"I hate this." Spider-Man said covering his own nose.

"You never had to fight sewer rats?" Frederick asked.

"I've fought within a subway tunnel." Spider-Man replied recalling his encounter with Electro there.

"Ah, I remember that story." Frederick said.

"Why a sewer out of all places?" Ned wondered as he used a handkerchief to cover his nose.

"Fisk loves innovation; he picked a place that had to be discrete as possible. And this is one way to keep others out." Frederick said shining the light.

"You sure if Fisk knows how unhygienic this place is? I mean I think saw another rat today." Peter said as he continued to walk with them.

"For some of us working for him, we're pretty much just rats. He'll use us for a 'plague' then get rid of us like 'pests'." Frederick said, "That's part of his play."

After walking, Frederick halted prompting Ned and Spider-Man to stop as well. Walking to the brick wall, Frederick pressed his palm firmly on one piece of stone before the stone revealed a keypad behind it.

"Memorising the code required a lot of patience." Frederick said as he tapped the code.

* * *

 _Secret vault room…_

Afterwards, part of the sewer wall opened revealing a slide door entrance into a secret room. To Ned and Spider-Man's disbelief, it was a stack of different combination safe vault locks inside.

"This is one part of Fisk you'll never hear of by him." Frederick explained as he searched around the place.

"What's the general thing hiding behind these vaults?" Spider-Man asked.

"Oh, money. Or any personal belongings that Fisk deems unfit for those working for him." Frederick said as he got closer to the right lock.

"Are there hidden cameras around here? Cause I'm sure they don't just have a place like this open." Ned asked nervously.

"Bingo. Found the lock." Frederick said as he began steering the lock wheel, "Don't worry… Won't take long. Plus this is one place security at Fisk Tower doesn't check thanks to its secrecy."

After Frederick opened the lock, he found the things he was after. Without wasting any time, Frederick picked up bundles of hundred dollar notes as well as belongings such as a pen and handbag.

"A handbag?" Spider-Man asked.

Frederick ignored Spider-Man's comment as he shuffled the things, he needed into where ever he could put it. Afterwards, he shut the vault lock tight and began to leave.

"Wait, we just came down here to witness you do robbery?" Ned asked confused.

"Well, if we've got some naughty slickers sauntering around this hidey hole." A Southern accent voice said out loud.

Turning around, the trio saw one of the three federal officers close to Wilson confront them. It was Jackson Brice, the Enforcer with a cowboy hat and a specialised whip weapon on his one hand.

"Jack. Just my luck." Frederick said, "I'm in a tight spot here you see. I was so close to shooting the kid with me until Spider-Man beat me. Now I'm being forced by my own will to do his dirty work."

The comments did not sit well with both Ned and Spider-Man which caused Spider-Man to make his quip.

"What a way to double-cross." Spider-Man said.

"Oh ho, ho. Now unfortunately the boss has given me some new orders to follow. And sorry, you're not in his chain of command anymore." Jack commented as he drew closer.

"And what did I do to deserve this?" Frederick asked.

"The boss had come to the conclusion that your activities at the Bugle are going to blow over and if that turns south, it would be bad for business." Another voice chimed in.

Turning to the other direction, Ronald Bloch appeared in his heavy figure with his fists curled up.

"It's the mini-version of Fisk." Spider-Man said to Ronald.

"The Spider-Man. So, he's back. If he's more than just that crummy suit that is." Ronald snapped back.

"Oh, thanks for noticing." Spider-Man said sarcastically.

"Say where's Fancy Dan? Still bleeding from his broken nose?" Frederick asked.

Soon enough, Daniel Brito appeared with a spiteful face that had a few scars and bandages. He carried a pistol in hand and aimed it squarely at the trio.

"Looks like we're even." Spider-Man noted as it was three against three.

"What do we say we handle this diplomatically? You're all part of the FBI, so why not negotiate?" Frederick asked.

"That's Kingpin's idea. We on the other hand…Are gonna bring you to your knees." Dan finally said, "Plus a bounty for the two loose ends here."

"Wow… I can't believe I'm worth a fortune." Ned said.

Unimpressed, Frederick began to draw his own gun out.

"Over my dead body." Frederick said as he aimed at Dan.

The two exchanged gunfire at even pace which let out a loud sound. However only Dan was hit as he clutched his own shoulder. It was thanks to Spider-Man's quick-thinking which pulled the gun out of Dan's hand with a web sling.

"This might work out for me." Frederick said appreciating Spider-Man's help.

Ronald charged forward while Jack cracked out his whip. This gave Spider-Man another idea as he pushed Ned out of Jack's way as soon as the whip landed. Luckily, the whip hit Ronald which frustrated him again.

"What the hell?! You idiot!" Ronald screeched as he covered the lash mark on his face.

"Guess, it's time to use guns." Jack said abandoning his signature weapon for a moment in exchange for twin pistols.

"How generic…" Spider-Man said he jumped in the air to land a swift kick onto Jack.

However, one gun was not aimed for Spider-Man but instead was aimed at Frederick who took the hit on his left arm. This caused Frederick to drop his gun in pain before Jack was knocked out.

"You okay there?" Spider-Man asked.

Frederick responded by hitting a charging Ronald on the head with his own gun whip. This time, Ned knocked out Ronald with a crowbar he retrieved from Frederick's bag.

"Not bad, kid. Make sure he's super knocked out though." Frederick answered as he continued to clutch his arm to stop the bleeding.

All that was left was Dan, who tried to aim his gun again. For Spider-Man, this was not a hard matter as he delivered the kick needed to put someone out.

"That's all of them. Thanks." Frederick said picking up his own stuff and retrieving the crowbar from Ned.

"So, you're actually getting out of town?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, not alone though." Frederick said breathing a sigh of relief, "Let's get back to the car."

Just as they were about to leave, a gunshot was fired hitting Frederick in the abdomen. This especially caught Spider-Man by surprise since his Spider-sense was not strong enough.

"You know I wouldn't think about leaving without my approval." Wilson's voice said out loud.

The trio turned around to find Wilson with a gun in his hand aimed against them.

"Frederick… There's no need for the mask anymore. You don't need to hide that anguish." Wilson said calling out Frederick behind his Big Man costume.

"Ned, get him out of here. I'll hold him off." Spider-Man demanded.

"Okay." Ned said heaving Frederick with him.

Spider-Man then stared directly at Wilson as he came forward with a confident and menacing smile.

"Are you truly back?" Wilson asked as he attempted to reload his bullets.

"Yep. And you can suck it." Spider-Man said in return.

"Ah, the humour. It's too bad. When there is proof you can be killed easily." Wilson said aiming the gun at Spider-Man.

"Thought you were good with your hands." Spider-Man said as he prepared to dodge all the incoming bullets.

As Wilson fired, Spider-Man did exactly what he would do with his powers. However, every close step was the trap Wilson wanted to spring. In a flash, Wilson swiped at Spider-Man with enough force which caused his back to hit a nearby vault.

Just as Spider-Man was about to shoot some webs, Wilson grabbed his wrists which prevented him from doing anything. Finally, Wilson began slamming Spider-Man against the vaults as hard as he could. Every hit caused Spider-Man's head to ring a little before he was able to land a kick onto Wilson's jawline.

"That worked." Spider-Man noted as he was able to physically hurt Wilson.

With all his rage, Wilson lunged at Spider-Man who flipped over him and began shooting his webs. The webs began to splatter all over Wilson's suit and causing him to bend his knee.

"That's right. Submit to the cotton candy." Spider-Man joked.

However, this was not enough to keep Wilson down as he withstood the webs with all his strength until finally, he grabbed Spider-Man by one leg and slammed him down. Afterwards, he used one fat hand to grab hold of Spider-Man's neck while using the other to grab both of his wrists in attempt to stop the stop the webs.

Spider-Man started to lose breath as Wilson's grip continued to tighten. It was too much to bear even for someone as superpowered as him. That was until a gunshot saved his life which hit Wilson's thick arm. Gasping for air, Spider-Man decided to abandon his fight and make a run for it.

Frederick had saved him while still clutching to his wounds. As Spider-Man continued sprinting towards Frederick, another gunshot was fired by Wilson who hastily picked up his weapon. The bullet narrowly missed him but unfortunately hit Frederick near the collar. In the nick of time, Spider-Man grabbed hold of Frederick with the two escaping Wilson's sight.

* * *

 _7:35 pm Fisk Tower parking ground…_

Ned helped Spider-Man and Frederick out of the sewers while watching for potential witnesses.

"Forget the car… Find a safe place first." Frederick urged in pain before tearing off the Big Man mask.

Together, Ned and Spider-Man carried Frederick to the place where they can avoid as many people as possible. They found an alleyway which they used to give Frederick a rest.

"I-I think that was a bit too many bullets." Frederick said heaving in pain.

"Okay, relax. You can get through this." Spider-Man attempted to assure.

However, Frederick raised a hand to assure Spider-Man that it was too late.

"It's too bad… I may have got my stuff… B-But…" Frederick blurted before coughing up some blood.

"I'm calling 911." Ned said as he attempted to dial his phone.

"Don't. It's not worth it…" Frederick said, "I'm not worth it."

"What are you talking about? If you can stop bleeding then…" Spider-Man said.

"Come on, don't act like you really care about me." Frederick said while coughing.

These words alone prompted Spider-Man to not say a word and for Ned to stay silent as well.

"I forfeit the life I've chosen. I'm just going to be chasing my own shadows." Frederick said, "But there are a few things I'm not giving out on…"

Spider-Man put his head down shamefully as he looked at Frederick's blood on his own hands while Ned felt regret.

"One. I'm sure I can tell you about my niece… Janice." Frederick said, "Two… My unfinished stories. All the paperwork to fill in for Jameson…. Man, I never got to tell him…"

"Hey, you shouldn't give up like that!" Spider-Man pleaded.

"Just let me be. Before I… Just promise me. That my work be used to bring down Fisk. That I can be forgiven…" Frederick said while eyeing Ned, "And that I'm not just some mole… I'm a report-."

However, Frederick did not get to finish his words. Death had come to ease his mind and just like that, he was gone. For Ned, the sight of death left him in traumatic shock. For Peter, it was old and unsettling.

* * *

 _8:30 pm New York Metro Hospital…_

On the other side of Manhattan, Gwen had finally been discharged out of hospital with her family picking her up. It was a sight of relief as the family embraced her recovery.

"Ready to come home?" George asked, "We gotta make sure your dinner doesn't go cold."

"Sure thing…" Gwen said feeling normal.

As the Stacy family got into their family vehicle, a few drops of snow fell to the ground in a while. For the Stacy family, it seemed like life was on a normal track for now.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 **End note: Hopefully the death was worth it.**


	30. Playing With Fire

SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 30)

 _8:45 am Daily Bugle building, outside…_

Today, Peter arrived late for work and blamed the cold weather that was sweeping New York. It had arguably been the coldest day he experienced since he finished high school.

"Jameson is going to chew me out." Peter said as he wrapped his gloves around himself to keep warm.

After crossing the traffic, Peter was surprised to see a majority of the Bugle staff standing outside. Both Betty and Robbie were present however John himself was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, what's going on?" Peter asked approaching Betty from behind.

"Oh, hi Peter. We're all gathered here today because the cops and the media have entered the premise." Betty said upon hearing Peter's voice.

"Uh…What's going on?" Peter asked again.

"Sorry… It's just that…The Bugle is in a lot of trouble regarding a scandal." Betty responded, "Peter…I'm sure you're sorry to hear this… But, Frederick Foswell… One of our reporters was found dead yesterday."

At that instance, Peter's skin colour turned pale at the reminder of Frederick's death.

"Right, makes sense. An investigation is happening." Peter said.

"I hope Mr. Jameson is taking things well. This whole thing could affect the Bugle as a whole." Betty said in a concerned tone.

After a few minutes of standing, a group of police and some television news people walked out of the building. John followed fuming with his moustache twitching.

"Alright, everyone… Get inside quick!" John commanded while complaining about the cold.

The staff all obeyed the order while John managed to stop Peter as they entered the reception lobby.

"You're late, Parker." John grumbled.

"Yeah, I've-..." Peter tried to say before John stopped him.

"Cold weather? I can absolutely understand. I've just had the worst interrogation early this morning and I'm in both the mood of being angry and sad." John said.

"Mr. Jameson, I heard the news. I'm sorry to hear." Peter said in return.

John nodded silently in response and gave out a loud sigh afterwards.

"Parker… I gotta make some changes. First off… You're no longer obligated to work for me." John said.

"Wait, what?" Peter questioned.

"Yeah, you're fired. It's a shame… The Bugle is taking major hits financially and I'm afraid this is getting worse with the 'scandal' on our end." John said, "And I… Truly believe you were an excellent photographer. But pictures aren't in my interest anymore."

"Mr. Jameson…" Peter said in a defeated tone.

"Look, I bank on your photos of Spider-Man every day to make headlines. I know I'm making a stupid decision in doing this but we're on a tip of the iceberg with Foswell. I'm considering a future on how we can continue our 'just' reporting." John explained further.

"Well, you do bank on pictures to make the Bugle stand out. That's what makes the paper so great." Peter said.

"I'm glad you caught up on that. But you do realise what the term 'recession' means, right?" John asked.

Peter did not follow with a single word as he listened.

"Look, I hate firing people. And I understand there's trouble stirring up inside you, boy. But I am preparing for war. For legal action. And I have to manage my resources. Which is why the lowest paid need to go first."

Peter felt the weight of defeat hit him as John admitted his job termination. It was hard to believe the reasons he was fired, but Peter knew John was a good man at heart who was fighting his own demons.

"I'll leave then." Peter said.

"I'm sorry, Parker. You don't want to be dragged in the turmoil I'm facing." John apologised as he watched Peter walk off.

On the far end side of the reception, Betty watched as Peter left the building. John then walked towards her and before giving his word.

"Ms. Brant…Be ready for the next couple of days." John said.

* * *

 _9:15 am Secret meeting room…_

Wilson and the three corrupt federal agent enforcers gathered for another meeting. This time they were seated for the aftermath of Frederick Foswell's death.

"Word is that the press has finished with the Bugle and so are the cops." Dan said with his arms crossed.

"I think we're in deep shit." Jack complained as he thought about the death of Frederick.

"Don't have any fears. I've thought of the next move." Wilson assured sitting comfortably in his chair.

"I think the kid Fred accompanied is a real danger." Ronald weighed in referring to Ned.

"Gentlemen…I'd like to thank you for sharing your concerns about today." Wilson said.

Wilson then threw the gun he used to kill Frederick onto the table.

"I have blood on my hands. But thanks to your support…I know this will be taken care of." Wilson said pointing at the weapon.

"No problem, do you still need the gun?" Dan asked.

"No." Wilson ordered, "Next step, I want a thorough clean-up of anything Foswell left behind. That includes Mr. Ned Leeds."

"Is that necessary?" Ronald wondered questioning the morality of the plan.

"We've tumbled with some bad weeds in the past. It ain't surprising." Jack assured.

"Are we going to ignore Spider-Man? He's still kicking." Dan wondered.

"Our first clean-up of Foswell will bring him forward." Wilson explained briefly.

"And what about Fred's legacy at the Bugle?" Dan asked.

"My lawyers will take care of it." Wilson replied.

* * *

 _5:30 pm Upper Manhattan…_

It had been a long day for Peter after being fired by Bugle. Peter spent the rest of the day alone as he used this opportunity to take a trip around Manhattan. Whenever possible, he would steer clear from public eye and climb up buildings to enjoy the city view.

"I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself. But New York has gone crazy." Peter said to himself as he took a bite out of a burger from some fast food joint he ordered.

Sitting in view of the entire cityscape, Peter reflected on everything that had happened both when he was and was not Spider-Man.

"Seriously, aren't there supposed to be other 'superheroes' living in New York? Where the heck are they?" Peter questioned, "I mean sure there's a Spider-Gwen."

As Peter began to check on his phone, his Spider-sense began to tingle at the sound of emergency sirens.

"Still glad about getting the tingle back." Peter commented as he prepared himself for the incoming danger.

Looking around, Peter noticed an increasing amount of black smoke rising in the air from the distance.

"A fire? Guess I'll go check it out." Peter said leaving his food behind.

* * *

 _5:45 pm Flowerbed Apartments, Upper Manhattan…_

Fire trucks were stationed around the apartment block in flames. The firefighters worked hard to evacuate as many of the residents as much as possible.

"It's getting hotter. How many people are still in there?" One fireman shouted as he pointed the hose at the area of ignition.

Spider-Man arrived on scene witnessing the fire crew do their work while seeing residents fleeing the flaming complex. Using his Spider-sense, Spider-Man heard the cries of people who were still stuck in building.

"At least four people I think." Spider-Man noted before springing to action.

Jumping into a window, Spider-Man picked up the first people who needed help. An elderly couple who were struggling to get up amidst the rising flames.

"Hey, I gotcha." Spider-Man said attempting to help both people up.

As Spider-Man reached back to the window, he shouted for the attention of the firefighters on ground.

"Hey, guys! Take care of these two!" Spider-Man yelled using his spider-web to lower the two elders down.

The firefighters scrambled to action as Spider-Man carefully lowered the two down while the flames continued to burn. Sweating beneath the homemade costume, Peter felt as if he was losing breath.

"Two more." Spider-Man murmured before jumping out of the building for fresh air.

The next person was a teenage girl screaming in desperation as the floors around her broke apart from the flames. Climbing up further, Spider-Man broke the next window to help her.

"Hello, it's your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man." Spider-Man called alerting the girl's attention.

Jumping over, Spider-Man landed where the girl was before swinging her out of the apartment as the floor, she stood on fell apart.

"Okay, take a deep breather now." Spider-Man said as he lowered the girl quickly to the ground.

The last person trapped required Spider-Man to climb higher and search more thoroughly. Following the sounds for help behind an apartment door, Spider-Man knocked it down with his strength and continued to follow the sound.

The sound was heard behind a cupboard which had a padlock in place. This alarmed Spider-Man to a degree.

"Who the hell?" Spider-Man questioned before using his strength to pull apart the padlock.

Inside, Spider-Man was shocked to find a little girl dressed in yellow trapped. Her hair was a little orange and her eyes were green. Both traits reminded Spider-Man of Frederick Foswell. The little girl reacted with fear at the sight of Spider-Man.

"It's okay, I'm here to save you. This place is-." Spider-Man pleaded while opening his arms out.

The little girl remained scared, if not distrustful which caused Spider-Man to panic.

"Come on, please!" Spider-Man begged before thinking his mask was scary.

The situation then prompted Spider-Man to peel back his mask and show his friendly face as Peter Parker.

"Better now?" Peter asked.

Slowly, the little girl reached out with Peter quickly grabbing her as everything surrounding them burnt down. The smoke was also getting unbearable with Pete barely getting a breath of fresh air. With no choice, Peter jumped out from the window carrying the little girl in his embrace.

Jumping from ten storeys high, Peter made the choice to use his back to soften the blow of protecting the girl while getting hurt in the process. With a loud thud, Peter landed on top of a car destroying it while still holding on and blacked out.

* * *

 _6:00 pm…_

Peter slowly opened his eyes to the evening sky and realised his face was exposed in public prompting him to put the mask back on in hopes no one will recognise him. There were multiple police vehicles approaching as they arrived at the scene.

"Stay where you are!" An officer shouted.

Getting up, Spider-Man looked around as the authorities surrounded him while he held onto the unconscious girl.

"Hey…" Spider-Man responded as he picked up himself up.

"Are you hurt, sir?" An officer asked.

Spider-Man stood up feeling wobbly and carried the girl with him.

"I will be fine. Maybe look after her." Spider-Man said stretching his back after putting the girl down.

"You just fell ten storeys!" The officer cried.

"Yeah? I'm Spider-Man, I can swing through the air and flip the bird against gravity." Spider-Man responded.

Without another answer, Spider-Man quickly shot a web and left the scene. Finding a building rooftop to rest by, Spider-Man took the time to catch his breath.

"Never fell ten storeys. I could've been dead already… At least it wasn't as bad as Tombstone." Peter said peeling back his mask and breathing in the air.

* * *

7:30 _pm Somewhere around Queens…_

Late at night, a lone homeless man sat near a local park drinking a bottle of locally brewed New York beer. This was a problem Wilson Fisk had been set on dealing as part of his campaign to take control over Queens.

"Somehow fresh in this kind of weather." The man cackled as he continued to drink while his knees were kept warm by his blanket.

He then stopped drinking by the time he heard a rustle in the bushes.

"Huh? Is there a rat or a squirrel here?" He drunkenly began to ask.

It was getting pretty late and most people at this day would be staying indoors to keep warm.

"Maybe it's a dog or cat?" The man asked again.

After questioning again, the man soon got spooked by the sight of a green grotesque face with hair features; cat-like eyes and long pointy ears. Before screaming, his mouth was gagged by a piece of cloth drenched in some sleep-inducive chemical.

* * *

 _Somewhere in the sewers…_

In his monstrous form, Miller dragged the petrified homeless man to his new hideaway home. The place he chose had been refurbished a little with the stuff he stole at the Raft.

"Mr. Rodríguez, I've either brought back dinner or our next experiment." Miller commented as he threw the man in front of him.

"We'll get back to the surface soon enough." Miller said, "We'll get back at everyone who have ruined our lives."

* * *

 _7:30 am Parker residence…_

Peter had trouble sleeping prompting him to wake up early as he walked down stairs to meet Aunt May.

"You know you can afford to sleep in, Peter." May said as she cooked up some poached eggs.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep." Peter sighed as he sat down.

"I know it's not your fault, Peter. But things at work just happen." May said referring to Peter's recent firing and the incident related to the Bugle.

"May, I know this will be tough on you. I-." Peter tried to say.

"Nonsense, Peter. If anything, it will make me stronger. I'll be glad to lend you a bit of pocket money again. Besides, I think this is an opportunity to improve your mental health." May said as she turned off the stove.

"Thank you, Aunt May." Peter said as he watched her put the eggs down in front of him.

"You might want to catch up with Gwen again, if you are interested." May suggested.

"Yeah…" Peter said in a monotonous voice, "Maybe, I'll turn on the television while we're at it."

Pressing the power button on the remote control for the television nearby, Peter was greeted by the morning news report.

"Today's report continues the investigation for the death of acclaimed Daily Bugle reporter, Frederick Foswell." The news anchor reported.

Peter's eyes lit up a little and began to listen in on the report. The television flashed images of Frederick before cutting to live footage.

"Last night, police have arrived at the suspect's residence in Forest Hills, Queens and arrested prime suspect, Ned Leeds." The news anchor continued.

"Ned?!" Peter said in surprise.

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
